A Certain Scientific Prototype
by reppuzan
Summary: What if Alex Mercer had a son. What if he became an esper, but still had the powers of a Prototype? Chased out of an orphanage at the age of six, young Sieg found himself in Academy City while being chased by Blackwatch. After barely surviving the encounter, he is saved by Heaven Canceller and adopted by him. This is Sieg's story. Slight AU
1. Chapter 1: The First Day

_I was six years old._

_I was also running for my life in the middle of the night from men in an unfamiliar city armed with guns and throwing red burning liquid at me. I didn't know who they were, but I just knew that if I was caught I'd be hurt, killed, or worse._

_I ran around every dark corner, rolled trash cans at them, ran past moving cars, but nothing I did seemed to be able to shake them. I knew I had been running for hours, and I was running out of steam. Much to my horror I eventually ran into an alleyway with no way out, a dead end._

"_No where left to run you little monster!" exclaimed the leader of my pursuers with the smug smirk of a predator who has cornered his prey._

_I must have looked shocked, since he replied, "Oh don't tell me you haven't realized it, Hercules! Just look at your hands!"_

_I did as I was told and found myself ready to scream, my hands had turned into grotesque, fingered-talons that grew out of a twisted mass of black and red tendrils._

"_That's right you fucking brat, you're a monster. One that deserves to be put down. So just give up and die!" As he said those words he and his men opened fire, filling me with nothing but excruciating agony as the lead rounds tore through my body. My next sensation was my head hitting the cold asphalt as I felt a warm, sticky liquid cover me all over._

_Is this it? Is this where it ends for me?_

"_No. I don't want to die. I don't want to die! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" I screamed as I felt dozens of tendrils shoot out of my body, wracking it with even more pain. My pursuers were caught by surprise as the tendrils went through their bodies just as their bullets went through mine. Just as I had screamed, so did they as they were in the same terrible pain as I. I saw them being reduced to a mass of black organic... things as I absorbed them into my body, which I immediately regretted as I was forced to relive their memories in an instant, including those when they struggled to take in their final, agonizing breaths._

_I was panting, sweating, tired, and bloody from the ordeal. But I managed to crawl out onto the street. Finally I had run out of strength, and I collapsed, managing to squeak, "Help, please..." as my eyes began to flutter into unconsciousness, my last sight being the concerned-looking face of an old man in a doctor's coat._

* * *

**My Room - Heaven Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

I looked in the mirror as I straightened my red tie and white shirt. I sighed as I tried to comb my unruly black hair as it would never become neat, especially that ahoge that always stuck up slightly curved in the middle. Still I managed to comb it down enough so that it only curled around the edges. I'm around 5'4" now (or about 162 centimeters for those who use metrics). I guess I haven't really outgrown my boyish looks yet, but Jii-chan said that I'll grow up eventually.

Okay, I'm in uniform, so it's almost time to go.

I checked my bag for the last time before I headed out the door. Textbooks check. Stationery check. Calculators check. Yup, I'm completely ready for school. Today is going to be my first day at a new school, Sakugawa to be exact. I want to make a good first impression, so forgetting anything would be embarrassing.

"Jii-chan, I'm heading out!" I yelled as I headed out the door.

"Enjoy your day at school, my boy!" replied the frog-faced doctor.

* * *

**Streets of Academy City **

* * *

It's been seven years since the kindly doctor Heaven Canceller took me in. I call him Jii-chan because that's pretty much exactly what he is to me now, a grandfather. Anyway I'm thirteen now and turning fourteen this year. I recently underwent the Power Curriculum Program who declared me a Gemstone, which is noted be rather rare, but they have no idea what my esper power is. Long story short I'm registered as a powerless Level 0 now, which isn't too much of an issue for me considering my other powers...

Anyway my mind shifted back to the present as I arrived at the train station. The train ride would only be about ten minutes along before another ten minute walk to school, so commuting today wasn't going to be a problem as far as I was concerned.

Of course, fate loves to prove me wrong.

"I'm sorry everyone, but due to a freak power surge yesterday the train can't run today." said the announcer with disappointment in her voice.

Well, my easy commute just turned into a nightmare. Sakugawa was at least fifty miles from here. A normal person would get there in a couple of hours at best, meaning that I'm screwed when it comes to getting there on time.

Luckily for me, I'm not exactly "normal", even by Academy City standards.

I shifted my biomass (as Jii-chan calls it) to my legs to increase my speed as I sprinted as fast as I could towards school. Today is my first day and Jii-chan would kill me if I was late.

"Excuse me! Sorry! In a hurry!" I exclaimed as I ran through the crowds around the station, leaving dust clouds and wind in my wake. I could hear them muttering about what just ran past them as they tried to find buses to take them to work.

At this point I'm already a third of the way there, trying to remember directions as I continued to run. As I dashed past an alleyway I stopped as I heard "Bzzzzzzzzzzzt!" before I heard a crash and moaning coming from that same alleyway. Did somewhat get struck by lightning? That's strange, the skies are clear today. I looked into the alley and I saw a girl in a light brown uniform with a white shirt underneath and a gray skirt with a bunch of comatose gangsters and delinquents lying around her, electricity crackling around her hair. I was just about to ask what happened when another girl with curly pink ponytails wearing the same outfit burst from the adjacent alleyway and exclaimed in a rather high-pitched and haughty voice,

"I'm from Judgment! I've received reports of crime in the area."

"Cease resistance and-" the voice stopped.

"Oh, Kuroko." said a somewhat relaxed voice the first girl.

"Onee-sama!" the girl called Kuroko exclaimed.

"Whatever happened here was settled in a flash. Wait, what am I doing?" I thought to myself, "I have to get to class!" as I ran back down the street.

"Hey Kuroko, I think you've got another one." said the first girl.

"Right away, Onee-sama! I'll catch him in no time flat!" said Kuroko with a salute.

Wait, did they think I was part of the group of crooks that the first girl knocked out? I got my answer as I found myself suddenly pinned to the pavement by iron nails through my clothes and my arm being pulled on by Kuroko.

"You didn't think that a single one of you scum could escape me did you?" she said with a smug look on her face.

"Hold on, I'm not part of that group, I'm just trying to get to class!" I rather feebly cried.

"A likely story, but you're going to have to come with me."

"What? No! I can't be late for my first day!"

"Then you should have thought of that before you joined up with this gang!"

"I told you! I'm not part of it!" as I pulled myself off the floor, tearing my uniform as I went, and broke back into a run.

"He's stronger than he looks," I heard Kuroko say, "but it's no matter." as I was knocked to the floor again as she appeared on top of me once more.

"I'm a Level 4 Teleporter, you can't outrun me, so give up."

"Sorry, but I've have places to go and things to do!" as I got up once again and threw her off. I shifted as much biomass as possible to my legs and dashed off once more turning right into another alleyway.

If I couldn't outrun her on the streets, I'd have to use more unorthodox methods to escape her. I shifted some of the biomass away from my legs and into my arms as I shifted my hands into claws. I really hate using my powers like this, but sometimes it has to be done. I used my transfigured appendages and my strengthened limbs to quickly scale the building wall, shifting them back as I reached the top, to make sure no one saw. To be honest, my powers are just plain freaky and they haven't won me any friends at all, so I don't like to use them more than necessary.

I then made myself a running start as I leaped off the edge of the building. Normally, this would be suicide. But my body is anything but normal. I shifted my biomass so that it was relatively even throughout, something taught to me by Mr. Heller. Soon enough I was gliding through the air much like a paper airplane. I also put out small bursts of biomass from my feet and hands to held control my trajectory. The building wasn't very tall, so I had to make a landing somewhere, which came in the form of a conveniently placed tree only a few blocks from school.

I looked at my watch it was 7:50, only ten minutes left before class starts. Damn, I'll barely make it at best. I ran towards the schoolyard and pulled my ID out of my pocket. I remembered my torn uniform and had some of my biomass move to repair it, as I wouldn't really know how to explain a uniform in tatters on my first day. I maneuver passed the other students, yelling my apologies once more as I slid my ID card through the security scanner. I scrambled up the stairs, I was almost there!

"Uiharu! I think he's gone into your school. I don't know what he's trying to pull, but I need eyes on him!" said a familiar voice. That Kuroko girl is persistent!

"So he's headed up the first stairwell? Thanks Uiharu!" Darn it! Curse you well-placed security cameras!

7:59, only a minute left! I slid open the door as the bell rang and yelled, "Sorry I'm late! A girl from Judgment mistook me for a criminal and-" I was cut off by Kuroko's voice as she grabbed me by the wrist and tripped me, "Sorry everyone for the interruption. I'm from Judgment and I need to apprehend this young man under suspicions of being part of a group of criminals I was persuing today." I found myself suddenly outside in front of an Anti-Skill truck, the volunteer police force dedicated to regulating esper related crimes.

I sighed, "How am I going to explain this to Jii-chan..." I could imagine the disappointment on his face when he finds out that I was not only late for school but accidentally arrested from crimes I didn't do.

"Wait, Shirai-san!" said a young girl's voice. I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young girl with short black hair in Sakugawa's uniform wearing a flower hairband.

"He's a student here, he's wearing the school uniform!" she cried in a rather adorable manner.

"Eh, he is?" said a bemused and surprised Kuroko. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"I tried but you turned off the com-link just as I was about to tell you!"

"Oh," she said somewhat embarassed, "well first let's confirm it! Show me your ID card!" commanded Kuroko.

I sighed with relief as I handed her my ID card. Kuroko examined it from all sides to make sure it wasn't a fake. She handed it back and said, "My apologies for mistaking you for being one of them. But why did you run when you saw me?"

"I didn't mean to," as I scratched the back of head sheepishly, "I was just surprised when I heard the commotion when I was trying to get to school and stopped. I then remembered what I was doing and kept running. I think you know the rest."

"Alright then, just try not to do it again. Your ID card says you're in class 7-A, so you better get going."

"Hey that's the same class as me!" said a surprised Uiharu, "Maybe we could, uh, walk to class together."

"Oh, um, sure I guess." I said to my savior as we began to walk to class.

* * *

**Class 7-A - Sakugawa Middle School**

* * *

I slid open the door once again, a kind-looking teacher wearing glasses said, "Uiharu-san you're here, Judgment duties again? He looked at me, "Oh, you must be our new student. I'm your homeroom teacher Daigo."

"Sorry again for being late! Like I said earlier I was mistaken for a member of a small criminal group by a member of Judgment!" I said while bowing apologetically.

"That's not a problem, say, shouldn't you introduce yourself to us now?" he asked.

"Right!" I turned to the class and said, "My name is Sieg Mercer, I'm transferring here from another school. I don't really like to use my last name, so you can just call me Sieg. Please take care of me!"

That was the start of my first day at a new school, and the beginning of a whole other list of troubles.

* * *

Thus concludes the first chapter of my first fan fiction, a sort of a crossover between the Prototype video games and the To Aru series. To be honest I never actually got to play Prototype, and my knowledge of the To Aru series is sparse at best, but I found both incredibly interesting from what I've seen of them. It just popped into my head one day during class, "What if Alex Mercer had a son who attended school in Academy City?" If you're wondering about my OC Sieg's name, I derived it from the main character from a new manga series called _Stealth Symphony_ that I really enjoy by Narita Ryougo, the author of the _Durarara!_ Series. I've adopted some of his character traits for my OC, including his general appearance and polite demeanor (if you want a good idea of how I imagined Sieg, look at pages 3-5 of Mangahere's copy of _Stealth Symphony_). I'm going to add some of his more _unpleasant_ traits later on. I hope you've enjoyed reading this. I plan on writing more when I can, but I have finals to study for. Please review and critique!


	2. Chapter 2: The Holdup

Disclaimer: I don't own Prototype or the To Aru series. All characters aside from my OCs belong to their respective owners.

* * *

**Class 7-A - Sakugawa Middle School**

* * *

I soon found myself suffocated by a barrage of questions from my classmates.

"Are you a foreigner?"

"I guess, my Dad was American but I grew up here in Academy City."

"Was?"

"He, er, died not long after I was born."

"What about your mom?"

"Never met her."

"Where did you learn to speak Japanese?"

"My Dad was a scientist, so he had to speak a lot of different languages since he wasn't given a translator."

"Do you have an esper power?"

"Yes, I haven't actually had a system scan yet so I'm right now listed as a Level 0."

To be honest, most of these answers are lies or half-lies, or in Mr. Heller's words, utter bullshit I have to make up in order to hide my origins and the nature of my powers. After all, who would want to be classmates with a walking biological weapon? The only completely true answers I gave in that entire conversation were my first and last ones. All of these questions are getting really tiring though.

"Now class, we can ask more questions from our new transfer student later. It's time for the lesson."

I breathed a sigh of relief, Daigo-sensei saved me from hours of interrogation by my classmates.

"Let's see, Sieg-kun you'll sit behind Saten-san. Since she sits behind you why don't you show him to his seat Uiharu-san."

Uiharu led me to the back corner of the room by the windows where I sat behind a long haired girl with a flower hairpiece. As I sat down, Daigo-sensei began talking about algebra and English. Although I like how Daigo-sensei is kind and considerate, lessons like these can't hold my attention very well. Algebra, like most math classes, is mind-numbingly boring and I can already speak English, so I couldn't really bring myself to pay my full attention to that either. I was wise enough to stay awake, but I can't say I was enjoying the lesson though.

Nothing really interesting or noteworthy happened the rest of the school day until the last period of the day. I had a different teacher to instruct us in genetics and the makings of an esper. I can't remember his name, but he was dressed in a lab coat and wore silver glasses that always seemed to reflect the light so that you couldn't see his eyes. This was something I was interested in, I guess it's what happens when you have the memories of dozens of scientists in your head. However, the teacher was very monotonous and droned on and on in his robotic sounding voice, so I ended up just reading ahead.

"Mercer-san," he said in he dreadfully monotone voice, "since you're not clearly not paying attention, would you like to give us a brief summary of the Level Ranking system?"

Okay, he's getting on my nerves now. First, he used my last name, which I specifically requested they refrain from using (I really don't want people putting two and two together and connecting me to my dad). Second, I was paying attention, I just decided to read ahead because he was so slow. Plus he really didn't know how to keep the attention of his students, half the class was on the brink of falling asleep. Ah well, he insisted. I'd better give him the textbook definition in order to please him.

"Yes sensei. The Level Ranking system is used to gauge and rank the powers of espers. Level 0 is where sixty percent of the esper population of Academy City is, in which powers are insignificant or completely non-existent." Saten looked rather uncomfortable in her seat as I said those words.

"Level 1 is where espers capable of doing minor things such as bending a spoon or levitating a paper cup, or in other words significant but weak powers. Level 2 is a small step up from Level 1, but still not considered useful enough for everyday work. Level 3 is the dividing line in which powers are considered significant and convenient for everyday use. Here espers also tended to begin to be considered elite." I continued.

"Level 4 is the point where intelligent use of such powers can give an esper the tactical value of a military force. Level 5 is considered the highest possible, where the espers in question are considered to have super powers and are treated as celebrities. This is exceptionally rare and there are only seven confirmed cases in Academy City with the identity of the rank 6th Level 5 being unknown." I concluded.

The teacher gave me a rather stern glare as he turned back to the board, as if he was attempting to scare me into submission. The bell finally rang, much to the cheers of my classmates as they packed their things and prepared to leave. Aside from the commute and the rude teacher the day ended up going by pretty smoothly. "Sieg-san!" I heard an energetic and tomboyish voice say as I entered the schoolyard.

I turned around, it was Saten dragging Uiharu behind her. "Say, what do you plan on doing?"

"Me? I was just going to go home and help my Jii-chan out in the hospital he runs." I replied.

"Well, we don't have much to do. Could we check it out?" said Saten.

"Wait Saten-san! I have files I need to sort through for Judgment duty and I need to track any reported crimes!" Uiharu cried rather weakly.

"Aw come on, don't be a bore Uiharu."

"Uiharu-san, you said work at the Judgment office here right? "

"Uh yes, I work as backup at the 177th Branch Office."

"I always wanted to check it out but I'm always busy running errands. Say, how about you come with me to my Jii-chan's hospital today, and then you can show me the Judgment office tomorrow." I said with the hope that she would say yes.

Judgment is the student run disciplinary squad against crime in Academy City. They basically patrol the streets and help arrest criminals for Anti-Skill, Academy City's volunteer police force, to take into custody. They're pretty much the city's real-life super heroes in a way. I kind of want to join them, it'd be better to do something productive with my powers besides being a killing machine.

"Actually, I have an appointment with Shirai-san tomorrow." said Uiharu in an almost apologetic manner.

"Shirai-san? You mean the Judgment girl who was chasing me today?" I asked, somewhat shocked.

"Yeah, she's going to introduce me to Misaka Mikoto, the ranked 3rd Level 5 and Ace of Tokiwadai!" she said with twinkling eyes. I guess she really likes meeting celebrities.

"Well, we're not going to accomplish much by standing around here. I guess we should get going then."

"Everyone," a feminine voice sounded over the many speakers around the city, "the electrical issues caused by last night's power surge have been fixed. The train is now fully operational. Please enjoy the rest of your day!" the voice said cheerfully.

That was good to hear, this meant that mad dash wasn't necessary to actually make it home in less than an hour. The way I figured, I'd spend the rest of the day showing Saten and Uiharu the hospital before eating dinner and finishing my homework. It'd be peaceful, quiet, and fun. After such a hectic day it'd be nice to just relax and kick back after all I've been through today.

Of course, for a trouble magnet like me fate had other plans.

* * *

**Academy City Monorail**

* * *

About halfway through the train ride we were all thrown about as the train abruptly stopped.

"Why did the train stop?" grumbled Saten as she rubbed her head where she hit it.

Several men wearing balaclavas (or in layman's terms ski masks) came out wielding rifles, pistols, and other fire arms. So much for a relaxing end of the day. What is it this time, insurgents? Terrorists? Skill-Out?

"Listen up," said the one in front, "we've taken over dis train. If ya don't want to get hurt, you're gonna put all of your valuables and wallets In our bags ya hear me?" So this isn't a terrorist attack, but a holdup. Okay then, that made things easy. They'd be looking for possessions, not for lives or for ransom. A stocky man came over with a burlap bag , stuffing in wallets, necklaces, rings, and other things that looked pricey into it while pointing a magnum at everyone.

Eventually, he walked over to me, still clutching that gun. It was clear he was an amateur, he hasn't even released the safety latch yet.

"Whatcha waiting for kid, gimme your money!" he spat at me, shooting spit in all directions. Someone needed to take some language classes...and a breath mint.

"Sorry, I don't have anything valuable on me for you to take." For once, this was actually true, I never carried my wallet around on a school day and I don't have a phone.

"Don't play tough guy with me, I'll show you!" He pulled the trigger. He pulled it again. A third time. "Wha? Why da fuck doesn't this thing work Yamada!" he sputtered at his compatriot by the door.

I couldn't help but bend over and laugh at the man's stupidity. If you're going to holdup a train, at least know how to use your gun!

"What's so funny kid!"

"Come on, at least know how to use your gun! You have to release the safety if you're going to fire it you know! What kind of robber are you!" I said to mock him, it seemed to work rather well as what I could see of his face turned red as he stamped the floor.

"Uh Sieg-san, maybe you should calm down. They're pointing guns at us." said Uiharu worriedly.

"Should I really feel threatened by robbers who can't even use their own guns?"

"Uh, yes. Of course you should! You just taught him how to use it too!" exclaimed Saten angrily.

There were murmurs among the train goers as they wondered at my outbursts.

_"Why is the kid talking to them like that? _

_"Does he value his life? He's gonna get us all killed.."_ among other things.

I whispered to Uiharu, "I'm going to make a distraction, call Anti-Skill and Judgment."

Uiharu's face looked shocked as I continued, "Hey, if you can't use your gun at least throw a punch or something. Here, I let you throw one right here." as I pointed to my left cheek.

"Why you little shit! I'll show you!" said the man as he threw a wild punch at my face,. It connected, landing squarely on my cheek and knocking me into the wall."That oughta shut you up."

_"All his hero act did was get him punched in the face!"_

_"He's done it now!"_

_"What the hell was that for kid!"_

Of course, I barely felt it. A punch from this guy felt more like getting pinched than anything. If I had a grandmother I bet she could punch harder than this guy.

"You call that a punch?" The smug look on the robber's face evaporated as I got up and gave him my best slasher smile.

"Say, do you know what city we're in?" I asked with a sickeningly sweet tone.

"What do ya take me for a dumbass? We're in Academy City..." he trailed off as he realized what he was dealing with.

"You're an esper?"

I nodded slowly in response.

"What, what level are you?" he stammered. Hey proper enunciation and sentence structure, that's a first for this guy.

I'm technically not am not a ranked esper yet (I don't know my ability, if there is one, at the moment), but I'm pretty sure my Blacklight powers should be more than sufficient to pose as one.

"Can't say I've had a level scan yet. But I sure as hell don't need one to deal with scum like you!"

When I'm about to get into a brawl, something in me clicks. As you can probably tell by the way I'm talking, I can be a real jerkass when I want to be. It's kind of like an on and off switch for my personality. Personally, I think it's just how I psych myself up for the fight.

I got into the boxing stance Mr. Heller taught me, with my fists in front of my face and leaning forward slightly. The man began to panic and pointed his gun at me once more. Unfortunately for him, he was too slow.

"_THIS IS A PUNCH!_" I yelled as I threw a lightning quick jab to the gut. Superhuman speed and strength are two of the perks of being made of the Blacklight virus. His eyes bulged as my knuckles made contact with his solar plexus. He seemed to have trouble breathing before he doubled over, looking ready to vomit. I kicked him in the temple afterward to knock him out. He's lucky that I didn't use my full strength, or he'd have a hole in his head and chest if I did.

"Get the kid!" said the robber named Yamada. The other two were actually smart enough to remove the safeties first. The one with an assault rifle took aim and fired straight at me. I dove to the floor, being sure to stay in the middle of the aisle so that no one else would be in the line of fire. The other one rushed me with a submachine gun. Big mistake. I swept his legs out from under him as he approached, followed by an elbow drop to the stomach. The man coughed and went limp. Two left.

"God damn it, why is so hard to deal with this brat!" yelled Yamada in rage. They drew a bead on me with their rifles and prepared to fire. Okay then I'll just dodge... oh crap. There was an old lady and her two grandchildren behind me. Well, if I have to show off my "esper" power, there won't be a better time than this. I quickly gathered biomass in my arms and began to morph them into two shields. They were using relatively small caliber weaponry, so I should be able to get away with rushing it and them thinner than usual out of necessity.

"Get down!" I yelled to the group behind me as I raised my arms which were now large slabs of crescent shaped biomass. They opened fire, but their bullets harmlessly bounced off. I felt the impact sure, but it was definitely dulled by the extra layers I put on my arms. Amidst the gunfire I looked to the side and saw Uiharu taking advantage of the confusion by putting a com link in her ear, her voice drowned out by the constant sound of my assailant's fire arms. As I did a bullet broke through my left shield and grazed my cheek. Okay, maybe making a half assed shield wasn't such a good idea after all.

Luckily for me, the sound of gunfire was soon replaced with a faint clicking sound. They're out of ammo! This is my chance! I changed my arms back to normal and rushed at the robber who struggled to reload his rifle. I tackled him, pulling the rifle from his grip and breaking it in half over my knee. I then followed with an uppercut to the jaw of my shocked victim, knocking the wind out of him. Whew, just one to go.

"Oh fuck you!" screamed Yamada as he grabbed a nearby elementary school girl and put the gun to her head. "What are you going to do now Hero Boy? You take one step closer, and I'm blowing her brains out! You hear me!" Tch, I was careless to just let him grab someone. What to do? Fortunately that was answered for me as I saw Saten reach for the fire extinguisher and began to quietly sneak up behind him. I needed to provide another distraction so that Saten could get close enough. I began to speak with a mocking tone once more.

"Hey Mr. Yamada, how does it feel to watch your big heist end in failure?"

"Don't talk to me like that you shitty brat, it's all your fault!"

"Come to think of it, it is isn't it. All of your buddies were taken out by a shitty brat weren't they? Look at you, cowering in the corner at the sight of me."

"Shut up, shut up, you stupid espers always look down on us Level 0s!"

He certainly sounds like someone from a Skill-Out gang.

"This city does nothing but care for the fucking rich and wealthy espers. We're trying to bring about equality and justice in this damned place. But people like you keep getting in the way!"

He's definitely part of a Skill-Out gang.

This was exactly what I wanted. What better distraction is there than a long winded rant/monologue by the person in question?

"All of you espers are the problem. Without you, there would be peace and we Level 0s wouldn't be treated so damn poorly. Without you I wouldn't have to be doing this-" he stopped as he fell over unconscious. Saten had clubbed him over the head with the fire extinguisher, hopefully he wouldn't have anything worse than a concussion.

The young girl that was held captive ran over to Saten, "Thank you for saving me onee-chan." she cried with tears of joy.

"You're welcome." replied Saten as she comforted the rather shaken young girl.

"That was amazing Sieg-san, and scary. You could have gotten hurt!" pouted Uiharu at my recklessness.

"Don't worry so much, I'm not one to get hurt easily. Even when I do, I heal quickly." I replied rather casually, "As long as I have enough biomass, I can heal from almost anything, even being shot through the head."

"Eh, biomass?" asked Uiharu. Shoot, I let that slip, how am I going to explain that?

Fortunately the conversation was cut short when a certain Level 4 teleporter warped in.

"I'm from Judgment, I've received a report of a crime taking place here. Cease resistance and- eh"

Kuroko looked rather bemused at the scene.

"Um, can someone please tell me what happened here?"

The young girl in Saten's arms jumped up, "These bad people came in saying that they'll shoot us if we didn't give him our money. Onii-chan beat them up." she pointed at me. "The last one grabbed me, but the nice onee-chan saved me." she said with a smile.

"How exactly did you go about this you two?" said Kuroko questioningly.

"I used my esper powers to subdue the first three men. However, the last one, named Yamada by one of the other robbers, grabbed this young girl. Yamada began ranting in the face of defeat, allowing Saten-san to knock him out with the fire extinguisher." I quickly summarized.

"These powers of yours, what do they entail?" Well the questions I'm being asked just shifted from bad to worse.

"Oh, I don't really have a name for it yet. It gives me extra strength and speed and the ability to change my limbs into different shapes. I also heal quickly." I said, giving as vague an answer as possible to avoid arousing suspicion.

"Is this true, Uiharu?"

"Yes. Everyone in the car can corroborate the story as well."

She gave me a someone disbelieving look before saying, "You guys did a number on them, I'll have to call an ambulance to take them to the hospital. Anti-Skill will be here in a minute to pick these guys up as well. I suppose we should give everyone their belongings back in the meantime."

And so we went to work, giving back every last thing that was taken by the robbers. It was rather amusing to see the people on the train showering praise upon me when about ten minutes ago they were jeering. I guess actions spoke louder than words this time.

By the time we managed to get off the train, it was already 7:30. Well, there goes all of the plans we arranged. It was too late to do much, and I had files to sort and homework to do.

"Look at how late it is already!" cried Saten, "I guess we'll have to come here another time."

"That's alright, I think we've had our fill of excitement for the day." In my opinion, that was enough excitement for the entire week.

"Say, speaking of which, where did you learn moves like that Sieg-san?" asked Uiharu.

"My Dad had a U.S. Marine for a friend, he taught me how to defend myself." Another half-lie, since my dad and Mr. Heller were NOT friends at all.

"Is that so? Well, we'll see you at school tomorrow Sieg-kun. Don't be late!" As the duo began to leave for the next train.

I waved goodbye as they left before turning around to go home. Man, what a day. I wonder if my dad went through days like this when he was around. I could always ask him later. I turned the corner and walked through the gates into the hospital.

* * *

**Heaven Canceller's Hospital - Lobby**

* * *

"Oh, Sieg-kun, you're home late, I remember you were supposed to help sort the files today." greeted Doctor Heaven Canceller, informally my Jii-chan.

"Sorry about that, a lot happened on the way home." an understatement, but a nonetheless accurate one.

"Would it have to do with the four men that came in today who were muttering about a "damned brat" who ruined their holdup today." he asked with a questioning look in his eye.

"Oh, heh." I laughed nervously, "about that..."

"Look Sieg," he said dropping formalities, "I understand you want to help people. Still pulling things like this is a surefire way to catch the attention of certain people. Including the organizations that chased your father."

The organizations he's referring to are Gentek and Blackwatch, two organizations who hunted my father throughout his life. Gentek was a genetics institution that my father worked at when he was human. There he developed the Blacklight virus, and as a result he was hunted down for his knowledge and the virus itself. Though as an act of spite he released it before he died, thus leading to two of the worst biological disasters in modern history, both caused by my father Alex Mercer.

Blackwatch on the other hand was a military organization created to combat the virus. Unfortunately, most of the organization was composed of trigger-happy sociopaths, giddy mad scientists, and sadistic psychopaths. Thus Blackwatch was full of corruption to the point that my father (or at least the virus that took his form) had to stop the first epidemic practically single-handedly before starting the second one when he found that humanity wasn't worth saving. Both want me as I am one of the only three perfect Blackight beings on the planet, the others being Mr. Heller and the missing Pariah.

"But Jii-chan I couldn't just let them rob everyone..."

"Yes, but that's the job of Judgment and Anti-Skill. You have no responsibility to do so and the fact that you did put you in a lot of danger you know."

Ugh, he has a point.

"That's not to say I'm not proud of what you did." I felt myself perk up a little.

"But be careful. You're my grandson in all but blood. I don't want to see you getting hurt or worse."

"Alright Jii-chan. I promise to be more careful." Though somehow I have the feeling that I'll have to break this promise in the future.

"As long as you understand. It's getting late, the blood packets you need are in the refrigerator, you know where to find them."

You read that right. Blood packets. No I am not a vampire. I don't get much nourishment from food, so I have to consume living organisms or their fluids (hence the name biomass) to sustain myself. So Jii-chan manages to sneak the almost expired blood bags out for me to consume instead. I can't say they taste very good, but it's either that or going out into the city at night and eating any unfortunate pedestrian to cross my path. Since I'm not really keen on eating people, it was a pretty easy choice.

I didn't do much else that night, finished homework, got changed, went to bed. But of course, there was something to interrupt me every time, even during sleep.

* * *

**My Mindscape**

* * *

Instead of blissful sleep I found myself in a circular room of almost pure white. The surfaces of the walls and ceiling seem to move as if small silver waves were running across them. This isn't my first time here. I've been here at least one night a month for the past five years of my life, and there's only one reason why I would be here.

"So you're here kid."

A turned around to see a man wearing a brown hoodie, black leather jacket, and a white shirt. His jeans were stained with mud and splotches of red, probably blood. His arms were at his sides, but tensed and seemingly ready to pounce. While his face was obscured under his hood, you could see that he was expecting me by the small grin on his face, like a predator waiting for its prey.

"Thanks for interrupting my sleep, Dad."

Everyone, say hello to Codename Zeus, the first Prototype, the physical incarnation of the Blacklight Virus itself, my father Alex Mercer.

* * *

Well that was my second chapter. I'm kind of disappointed with how I constructed a lot of the dialogue, since I feel that I inserted way too much cussing over actual character. It was kinda tough for me to think of a situation where I could have Sieg show off, but keep Uiharu and Saten important. It was also hard for me to think of things that Heaven Canceller would say, since his only major appearances in the story are talking with Crowley or treating Accelerator or Touma. I decided to keep make him the kindly but firm and wise grandfather archetype. I wanted to keep Alex Mercer in the story through more than just passing mention, so I decided to insert him here at the end. What better way to insert a dead character than in the subconscious? I'm also thinking of shipping Sieg with either Saten or Uiharu, but I am having trouble deciding. What do you guys think?

Anyway, that's it for now, please critique and give positive criticism through a review. As many authors from fanfiction you've read have told you, it's the lifeblood of an author and the driving force for writing a good story.


	3. Chapter 3: The Bank Robbery

Disclaimer: I do not own Prototype or any of the To Aru series. Aside from my OCs all characters and terms belong to their original owners.

* * *

**In My Mindscape**

* * *

"What do you want this time?" I asked my father, a.k.a. Alex Mercer, history's most infamous bioterrorist.

"Is that any way to talk to your father?" he said in a mocking tone.

In case you're wondering why I'm able to have a conversation with my dead father, I wasn't born like a normal person. Apparently I came from the remnants of the mess left behind when Mr. Heller consumed him, thus I am technically a fragment of Alex Mercer himself. Luckily for me, I gained self-awareness.

"I'm still wondering why you would bother with those humans. They're inferior and selfish, hardly worth saving." He must have seen what I did today from the back of my mind.

"I told you Dad, not all humans are like that. You just had bad luck and met some of the worse members of humanity. I mean, look at Aunt Dana, she helped you even after you turned into a monster."

My dad turned his head, "Hmmph, a few exceptions doesn't change the fact that the majority should be exterminated. Besides, she betrayed me in the end like everyone else."

"That was only because you decided to try and infect everyone with Blacklight you know."

At this point he appeared to be almost pouting, something I couldn't help but start to laugh it.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Your face, you're pouting like a kid."

His faced twisted into a scowl at my impudence, "Don't forget I can still try to destroy you in here."

"I know you wouldn't Dad, I'm your only son, so I'm very precious to you aren't I?" I said cheekily, "You don't need to put up your tough guy act around me. I know you're trying to look at the bright side of things." It's fun to tease my Dad a little. He's surprisingly easy to anger.

But I knew fun and games were over once he started to morph his arm into an all too familiar claw. "Alright then, in all seriousness, what did you want to talk about?"

"I'd be careful if I were you, Blackwatch has you under surveillance already. Your little display blew whatever semblance of cover out you had into the open."

I clenched my teeth, "Again! Ugh, wait, how do you know this?"

"While you were walking home the scope of a rifle was being trained on you from the building across the street. I heard the old man was also talking about it while you were sleeping. You should be more aware of things like this you idiot, before you get us killed."

"Well thanks, I guess. I'll keep it in mind." I thought about it a little, "So… you do care! Isn't that sweet?"

"Don't you get the wrong idea," he growled, "I just don't want us to get killed. Got it? Now get going already, it's already morning. If you're late for school the old man and Dana will have your neck and mine."

"Thanks Dad, see you later!"

"Tch, whatever." I saw him turn his back to me before my vision was blurred with light.

* * *

**My Room – Heaven Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock beeping. 7:00 A.M. I'd better get up. I changed out of my sleeping clothes (which for someone like me is simply a matter of changing my biomass to resemble a different outfit) into my school uniform. I then went to the bathroom to comb my hair and straighten my tie. As I looked in the mirror, I noticed I had a few streaks of bright red hair the same color as some of Mr. Heller's transformations.

"I wonder if Dad had anything to do with this." I thought to myself as I tried to make my hair relatively presentable. Once I was satisfied, I walked out to the lobby where Jii-chan was already sitting, going through reports, documents, and other papers.

"Good morning, Jii-chan!"

"Good morning, Sieg. Going out with your friends again today?"

"Uh yeah, how did you know?" I'm not really sure if they're my friends yet though, but I'll leave it at that, (not that my dad would want me to have any).

"I just had a feeling. Make sure you eat breakfast and grab your lunch before you head out the door."

"I will, thanks Jii-chan." I quickly drained some blood packets before heading out the door.

"Don't stay out too late again!"

* * *

**Sakugawa Middle School – Cafeteria**

* * *

Afterwards, the rest of the morning was surprisingly (but pleasantly) uneventful compared to yesterday. The train ran on time. I wasn't chased by a teleporter. Even the antagonistic teacher was absent. The entire day seemed to be shaping up in my favor. As a result, nothing really worth talking about happened until lunch.

I was slurping a smoothie composed of blood, strawberries, and watermelon in the cafeteria. The three went surprisingly well together. I then saw Saten sit on my left.

"Hey Sieg, what are you drinking?"

"Just a smoothie I made, nothing special. No honorifics?"

"Aw come on, don't be so formal. After what happened yesterday we're friends aren't we?" She thinks of me as a friend, that's nice I guess. She eyed my drink, "Can I have a sip?" I almost spat my drink all over the place. I can't let her drink this! It has human blood in it for crying out loud!

"I can't, it has, uh, my medicine in it." I quickly said in an attempt to make an excuse.

"Really now? What are you sick with? Academy City has some of the world's best doctors you know." Don't I know it? I live with the best one in town, heck probably the world. Think Sieg, think!

"I have a blood disease that causes me to have anemia." I tried to say as calmly as I could, "The medicine helps me keep my blood cell count up."

"Hmmm," she squinted at me, still unconvinced. Buy it! Buy it!

"Alright then," phew, I was worried for a moment, "are you still going to hang out with us this afternoon? I'm going to get the new Hitotsui Hajime album."

"You can count on it!" I said with a smile, remembering that she called me a friend. Come to think of it, did I have any friends outside of family before I came here?

"That's great to hear, Uiharu is so shy, it'd be great if she more friends. Say, the System Scan is next period. What do you think you're going to get?"

"If I'm lucky, I'd be Level 2." I replied. To be honest, I'd place my "Esper" powers around the strength of a Level 3, since I've done some actual fighting with them before. I don't think I should tell Saten that though.

"What you did on the train was pretty impressive, so there is no need to be modest. You called yourself a Shapeshifter. Can you do anything else?"

"Yeah, but they're all pretty freaky," I admitted, "I've turned my arms into claws, whips, and stuff like that. They're pretty much only good for fighting people." I paused in my thoughts for a second as I said that. I just told her several of my powers! What do I do if she goes on the Internet and puts two and two together!

"Well, at least you have powers. I'm a Level 0 you know, an incompetent." She glanced sadly at the floor, "It must be cool to have them right?"

I gave her a small frown, "To be honest, it isn't always very fun." She gave me a surprised look.

"You see, I didn't get my powers through the Power Curriculum. As a result, a lot of people tried to hunt me down for them." Here I go again with the lies and half-lies. "It wasn't until I was taken here and found by my Jii-chan did things start to look up for me."

"Oh, I didn't know." She looked rather embarrassed and depressed at her earlier statement. Damn, I ruined her mood! I put my hand on her shoulder to try and reassure her.

"Don't worry about it Saten. I'm just pouring my life story out here. You don't need to be so worried about it. I'm just saying that it isn't all about the powers. I bet you'll get further than me when we grow up."

Her face looked bemused as I continued, "I have no social skills or luck with people. To be honest, you're the first real friend I've had in a long time. So, um, thank you!" I just said my dad's taboo word again. He must think I'm losing it. Her look of shock turned into a small smile. That's good. I managed to perk her up a bit.

"Okay then, see you next class!" she got up to throw out the scraps of her lunch.

Not long after I heard a voice over the loudspeakers, "All students report to the track field in physical education clothing. The System Scan with commence shortly." With that I cleaned up and went to the bathroom to change. It's time to see how my powers hold up in the Esper Rankings!

* * *

**Sakugawa Middle School – Track Field**

* * *

When I made it to the field I began to stretch a little. It was kind of pointless, since I technically don't produce lactic acid and I don't have any tendons or muscles to pull. It just helps me relax before physical tests like this. The tests were conducted in alphabetical order. As a result, I was called about halfway in because of my last name.

"Mercer, Sieg" called a somewhat monotone female voice over the loud speaker. "Proceed to the left end of the field."

I walked over there where I was greeted by a middle-aged woman slightly shorter than me. She had the appearance of a loving grandmother, her voice full of kindness and warmth.

"My name is Oyafune Monaka. I'm on the Board of Directors here in Academy City." She's on the Board of Directors! That means she's at the top of Academy City's politics! What could she be here for?

"I'll be proctoring your System Scan today. This is your first one isn't it?" I nodded politely.

"You can relax. I'm not scheming or anything. You children are the future of this city and the world. I just found your profile as a gemstone esper interesting and wished to see your abilities for myself. I wish you luck young man."

Jii-chan warned me about the politicians in this city, as a lot of them are very shady and may even be conducting illegal experiments. I don't know why, but something about this lady tells me I can trust her.

"Thank you Monaka-san, I'll do my best." I replied as politely as I could.

"It seems that your profile does not list your abilities. How should we quantify your power?"

"I can increase my strength, so if there's something that measures impacts I can strike it."

"That's an excellent way of measuring it." She brought up her walkie-talkie. "I am requesting a G-Force Sensor for Sieg-kun's System Scan."

They brought a large machine that resembled a sideways punching bag with a bunch of sensors attached. "Sieg-kun, please use your ability on this bag. Your level will be determined from the force provided."

"Yes ma'am." I then quickly began to morph my arm so that it became larger and stronger, using what Dad called the Muscle Mass ability. After a second my arm was now pitch black and heavily muscled, looking somewhat misplaced on my otherwise slim and pale frame.

"Here I go!" I stepped forward and punched it as hard as I could, sending waves of force through the material and causing it to shudder and ripple slightly as it slid backwards along the axis it hung from.

"A most interesting power you have there, Sieg-kun." As she said that I realized that she hasn't called me Mercer-san at all like the other adults.

"Eh, how did you know that...?"

"You don't like to use your last name?" she finished, "I'm friends with the doctor taking care of you. We've known each other since this city was founded. He's told me all about you." I'm pretty sure he didn't tell her ALL about me. At least, I hope he didn't.

"I see…" Jii-chan never told me that he had friends like this on the council. I guess he has depths that even I don't know of.

"Let's see your score." she walked over to the side of the machine. "50.232 gigajoules, you've done a very impressive job young man. That's enough force to take down a small building if you were to attack the supports."

"Um, thank you." To think I could punch with more force than _**ten tons of TNT exploding**_ was somewhat startling. I thought it'd be a fraction of that. I guess I don't know my own strength.

"That said, your overall rating is Level 4. Magnificent work, I hope to see more from you next time." She said with a warm smile before a man dressed in a guard's uniform came up to her.

"Director Monaka, you are needed for a meeting."

"I understand. Allow me to congratulate you once more Sieg-kun. Please continue your hard work and strive for even greater heights." She turned and left with poise. The bell rang immediately after, "All students, please return to the changing rooms and proceed to your next class." I ended up doing just that.

* * *

**Sakugawa Middle School – Courtyard, Afterschool**

* * *

Saten slipped me a note during the last period of class to meet her afterschool in the courtyard. After getting everything I needed from my locker I headed out the main entrance. I saw Saten walking towards Uiharu, so I ran to catch up. Uiharu seemed to be preoccupied with a handheld device as Saten walked up behind her…

"U - i - ha - ru!" I felt my face turn red as Saten flipped Uiharu's skirt for the whole student body to see. How can someone be so shameless!

"Oh, today you're sporting light pink polka dots, huh?"

Uiharu's face soon turned the same shade as mine when she realized what happened. "Kyaaaaaaaaaah!" she cried. "W-What do you think you're doing Saten-san!" she scolded in a flustered panic.

Saten looked absolutely casual with her hands raised, "Oh, such formality with a classmate. As polite and formal as ever I see. Here, once more just to deepen our friendship!"

Uiharu screamed again as I walked over. "Um, Saten-san, are you sure that's a good habit to have? Especially when doing it in front of everyone else…"

"Not you too Sieg, geez why is everyone so formal. Say, you want me to pull down your pants Sieg?"

"What? No! Saten that's just wrong!" Considering the fact that my clothes are simply a manifestation of my biomass, she probably couldn't, but that probably wouldn't stop her from trying.

"There we go see!" she smirked, "You're blushing Sieg, don't be so uptight!" Uiharu and I sighed at the shameful behavior of our friend as we walked out of the schoolyard.

* * *

**Streets of Academy City - School District 7**

* * *

Uiharu sighed again as she sat down on a bench. "You are awful." She said to Saten.

"Sorry, sorry I got carried away there."

"No kidding." I added.

"Want to see my panties to get even?"

"No thank you!" said Uiharu and I at the same time.

"Geez Saten-san…" said Uiharu, pouting and looking away.

"Oh, come to think of it, how'd it go?"

"How did what go?"

"Isn't that obvious? I'm talking about your System Scans."

"Oh… An absolute disaster. Level 1 same as always. The same level as I've been since grade school. My homeroom teacher even said, "Are those flowers on your head just for show? Use the full blooming power of those flowers to make your own power level blossom too!" I guess her teacher was making a pun on Uiharu's full name which means Early Spring Decorations when translated directly from Japanese, referring to her flower hair band.

"How did your System Scan go Sieg?"

"Um," I really didn't want to hurt their feelings, but I also didn't want to lie to them either. "She called me a Level 4." I said finally. Both stared dumbfounded at my statement.

"Whaaaa," squealed Uiharu, "you're part of the elite on your first try Sieg-kun!" her eyes were twinkling in admiration.

"It's nothing, really…I just got lucky is all." It's not like I wanted this power, I just had the fortune (and misfortune) of being born from arguably one of the most powerful biological weapons in history. Saten was pouting a little with her arms crossed, she wasn't envious of me, was she? Maybe I should try to resolve this.

"Saten…" I began but she beat me to the punch.

"Great job Sieg!" she congratulated me with a peace sign and a smile.

"Huh?" It was my turn to be dumbfounded. I expected her to be angry or sad, not for her to applaud me!

"Just promise me that you won't be stuck up like some of the girls over at Tokiwadai alright!" So that's what she's worried about.

"Don't worry, I won't." I replied as I gave her a small smile. Uiharu looked happy too, and was writing something down in her digital planner. I wonder what she's writing about.

"You don't need to worry about me either. As long as I enjoy every day, everything is okay!" she said with universal OK pose.

"Hey Uiharu, listen to this," she then said, holding an earbud up for Uiharu.

"It's Hitotsui Hajime! Is this…?" said Uiharu.

"I downloaded a pre-release song of his from the album that goes on sale today."

"You buy the CD even after you download it?" said Uiharu, confused.

"It's winning these kickoff limited release 100-name-drawing premium goods that make you a true fan, you know! And so, let's go there, together, to buy it!" If that's the case for a true fan I'd think that being a normal one is too expensive.

"But I have to go see Shirai-san today remember?"

"Shirai? You mean Shirai Kuroko from Judgment?" She did mention that yesterday. I don't think I'll ever forget the Level 4 Teleporter's face as she pursued me all the way from that fateful alleyway to my first-period classroom.

"My fondest wish to meet Misaka-san is coming true!" she said with the same twinkle in her eye as before. "She's one of the only seven Level 5s in Academy City, the Ace of Tokiwadai, Misaka Mikoto-san!"

Saten looked rather disgruntled as Uiharu continued her description, "The Ace of Tokiwadai? I bet she's just another one of those jerkwads who flaunt their abilities while looking down on you."

"That's not true."

"I mean, those people all treat everyone below them with contempt. They disgust me. What's worse, she's also the ojou-sama of Tokiwadai-"

"Isn't it great that she's an ojou-sama!" interjected Uiharu. "No, it's even better _because_ she's an ojou-sama!

"Hey, you're just starry eyed over seeing a celebrity, aren't you?" said Saten questioningly. At this point I'm thoroughly convinced of that statement.

"Th-that's not true! And by the way, it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm from Nishi-Kasai." she denied awfully specifically, "Say, considering the occasion, Saten-san why don't you come along?" finished Uiharu at the speed of a race car engine.

"Eh, I-I don't really…"

"Saten, why don't you go with her?" I said, "You have the money right?"

"Yeah, but… "

"Then just hand it to me. I'll get it for you and run back."

"The music store is almost a mile from here though!"

"Tell you what, if I'm not back to meet you in fifteen minutes, I'll pay you back for the CD."

"There's no way you're that fast!" she began before realizing who she was talking to. "Are you really sure you'll be able to make it back, because that's two thousand yen we're talking about."

"I'm positive!" I know I could if everything went smoothly and I ran at full speed.

"Alright, thanks Sieg!"

"It's perfect then!" cried Uiharu, "You don't get a chance like this very often!"

"Hold on, Uiharu! Wait a second!" cried Saten as Uiharu began to pull her around the corner.

"Well, that's my cue." I said to myself as I shifted some biomass to my legs and took off for the music store, leaving dust and a lot of surprised people in my wake.

* * *

The music store was pretty easy to find with thermal vision, just find whichever building had the biggest line in front of it. By the time I got there, there were already thirty people on line. This Hajime guy must be pretty popular to have this many fans already waiting on line."

It took about eight minutes before I managed to get to the register. The shop owner gave me a strange look at first.

"You want the Hitotsui Hajime album?"

"Yes."

There were also a lot of fujoshis on line who began making remarks about me being in love with the guy.

"I'm not in love with the guy! I'm just buying this for a friend!" I yelled back angrily.

The shop owner smirked, "So this is for your girlfriend, eh?"

I felt my face flush red again, "She's not my girlfriend! She's just a friend. Who is a girl." Did I just say the word friend three times in less than a minute? My dad is probably screaming right now.

"Wahaha! That's what they all say. Hope she likes it, it's the last special edition copy!"

The girls behind me began to glare daggers at me as I received the CD. "Thanks mister!" I yelled as I sprinted out the door, the glares of those girls following me.

Damn, only five minutes left now! Time to cheat a little! Turning into an alleyway, I dashed up a wall onto the roof of the building. I surveyed my surroundings, looking for Saten and Uiharu. I spotted Uiharu and Saten with my thermal vision, her hair band being a dead giveaway amongst the rest of the people around her. The problem was that she was over a mile away!

I began running and jumping across the rooftops, looking for a good perch to attempt a leap from. I found it in the form of a water tower that rested on the roof of a pub. I jumped on top of it before leaping off in their direction. Just as I did yesterday, I thinned the amount of biomass in my body, spreading out the rest so that I could glide through the air. Only two minutes!

I began expelling some biomass from my feet as if I had rocket boots to go faster. I managed to cover several blocks in under a minute. Even at my current speed through, it would be a tough prospect to get there in time. In fact, there might not even be enough time to find a soft landing spot! Wait, there they are! I spotted them talking with a brown haired girl and a pink haired girl who was clearly Kuroko. Only five seconds! I just tucked my arms and dived for the ground.

5… Come on…

4… I began to lean backward in order to land feet first…

3… Almost there…

2… Getting ready…

1… I braced myself for the landing…

I landed with a resounding crash next to the group, startling everyone nearby.

"What was that!" was basically what everyone on the street was saying.

"Phew! Right on time!" I said as I dusted myself off. "Here's the CD you wanted Saten, I told you I'd get it in fifteen minutes! It was the last one too."

"Yataa! I got the limited-edition album!" Saten cried, holding up the CD triumphantly. "Thanks Sieg!"

"It's you! The kid from yesterday!" said Kuroko, pointing at me.

"Hey, I'm the same age as you…"

The brown haired girl then began to crackle with electricity, "Didn't you arrest this guy yesterday? I'll knock him out! Call Anti-Skill!"

"Wait, what?" was the last thing I said before I was struck by a surge of lightning from the girl.

"Argggggh!" I heard myself yell as the current coursed through my body, paralyzing or frying pretty much everything it passed through.

I hit the ground, "So this is what it's like be put in the electric chair or maybe even a chicken fryer." I thought to myself as I struggled to regain control of my limbs.

"Wait, what are you doing Misaka-san?!" asked Uiharu.

"He didn't do anything to you!" I heard Saten say.

"Kuroko was chasing this guy yesterday!"

"Ah, Onee-sama, it was a misunderstanding. He was just trying to get to school…" said Kuroko as she laughed nervously.

"Eh, oh, um…" Misaka stammered in a rather undignified manner, "maybe we should call him an ambulance. I think I overdid it."

When I could finally feel my arms and legs working again I pulled myself off the floor, "You don't need to. I'll be fine." I began shaking it off, "That wasn't the worst pain I've ever experienced, but I can say that it _hurt_!" I could have sworn I coughed up a cloud of smoke right afterward.

"You should have told me this earlier Kuroko! I shocked someone with fifty thousand volts because of that!" growled Misaka as she used her knuckles to grind her number one fan's temples.

_Fifty-thousand volts!_ That's enough to kill someone!

"Forgive me, Onee-sama!" so much for being an oujou-sama.

"So, um, yeah. Let's start over." Misaka began. "I'm Misaka Mikoto, nice to meet you." She put out her hand.

I sighed, before cracking a small smile. It wasn't much of an apology, but it was something. "Mercer Sieg," I introduced myself, "but just call me Sieg. I'm their classmate, though I rushed here trying to get Saten her CD on time."

"You had to fall from the sky to do it?"

"Er, yes." Misaka gave me a puzzled look before Kuroko continued,

"Now that introductions have been made… though I can't say without incident now, although the timetable has been thrown off somewhat, I've neatly arranged a schedule for today—"

Kuroko was then knocked on the head by an angry Misaka, the former clutching her head in pain.

"Sheesh. Well, standing around here isn't going to get us anywhere. How about we first go to the game center?"

"The game center?" questioned Saten. That certainly wasn't oujou-sama like.

"Come on, Kuroko. We're going." Misaka said to us, cracking a small smile.

After we finished playing at the arcade, (I found it rather noisy and overly flashy, but it was nevertheless fun). We ended up taking the monorail, with Kuroko complaining that Misaka wasn't doing enough "lady-like" activities all along the way. Misaka retorted that activities like tea ceremonies and playing the harp weren't things that suited her.

We grabbed some flyers as we walked down the street from the station.

"She's not really oujou-sama like is she?" whispered Saten.

"She doesn't look down on us either." Uiharu replied.

"I guess the rumors were wrong." I said. "But her shocking power definitely wasn't a lie." I added quietly.

"What's that?" asked Saten as she looked at the flyer Uiharu picked up.

"It looks like there's a new crepe stand. It says the first one hundred customers get a free Gekota mascot present."

"What a chintzy-looking character. Who would go for something like that these days-" Saten bumped into Misaka, who had stopped to read the same flyer.

"Excuse me…"

"Misaka-san?"

"What's the matter Onee-sama? Ah, are you interested in the crepe stand, or perhaps…are you interested in any free giveaway you can find?"

"W-What are you talking about?! I don't care about any Gekota! I mean he's a frog, an amphibian, in what world are girls thrilled to get a prize like…"

"Uh…" said Uiharu as we all looked at the small Gekota keychain hanging from Misaka's schoolbag. Well, her mature, refined oujou-sama image went out the window for me.

Kuroko hid her laughter while Uiharu, Saten, and I could only stare. We soon got over it and continued onward to a plaza. Kuroko, Uiharu, and I secured a bench while Misaka and Saten went to go buy crepes for us, (though I suspect that Misaka is doing it for another reason). In the meantime simply watched the kids run around and eat crepes with smiles on their faces while Kuroko started messing with Uiharu's hair band. It must be nice to be so innocent and young. Man I'm making myself sound old.

Eventually they bought the crepes, with Misaka prancing around holding up the Gekota keychain. Her good mood was interrupted when Kuroko began to chase her, asking her Onee-sama to take a bite out of her natto bean and fresh cream crepe. Who would eat that anyway?

"Here." I looked up and saw Saten handing me a crepe. "I didn't know what to get you, so I just asked for vanilla ice cream, chocolate, and marshmallows."

"Hey, thanks! You didn't have to though."

"Don't mention it. Think of it as my way of thanking you for getting me the CD."

I bit into it, it tasted great! The warm, soft texture of the crepe gave way to the cold and sweet ice cream before I tasted the bittersweet dark chocolate. The bite ended as I my teeth met the fluffy and creamy marshmallow. Don't roll your eyes at me! Just because I won't get much nutrition out of this doesn't mean I can't enjoy it!

"Thanks Saten! It's perfect!"

"That's good to hear."

"It's nice isn't it," said Uiharu next to us, "about Misaka-san. She doesn't really give off the ojou-sama vibe and she's much more approachable than I expected." Somehow it doesn't surprise me that Uiharu is still fantasizing about Misaka.

"I don't know…" muttered Saten watching the antics of Misaka and Kuroko.

Misaka walked up to Saten before presenting her crepe. "Here." she said.

"Eh?"

"Want a taste? Have a bite, as thanks for earlier." I'm not sure what she meant by that, but it probably had to do with Gekota.

"Onee-sama!" whined Kuroko. "Onee-sama, do you mean that even though I am right here, you would prefer an indirect kiss from Saten-san!"

Kuroko began thrashing about, complaining about the fact that she wouldn't get Misaka's first kiss.

"You know, I don't think I can keep up with your friends Uiharu." said Saten.

"I can't agree with you any more." I said.

Uiharu began to giggle but then looked over our shoulders with a questioning look on her face.

"What's wrong Uiharu?" I asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just noticed that bank. Why would the security shutters be down in the middle of the day?"

We all stopped and looked at the bank, wondering that ourselves. The shutters then suddenly buckled before being blasted off theirs hinges by an explosion. People screamed and began to run away from the plaza. Kuroko, seeing this, ate the rest of her crepe in one bite before pulling out her Judgment band.

She went from comical to serious in an instant as she began taking charge of the situation, "Uiharu, contact Anti-Skill and see if anyone is hurt! Please hurry!"

"R-right!"

"Kuroko!"

"No you don't, Onee-sama. Maintaining the peace in Academy City is a job for those of us in Judgment. This time, please be sure to behave yourself." Misaka then begrudgingly stood by. I wanted to help too, but I remembered Jii-chan's words from last night and stood by as well.

All the while Uiharu was speaking into her com link, "Yes, that's correct. A bank robbery is in progress across from the public square on the edge of District 7. Requesting Anti-Skill to this location."

A trio of men all wearing the same black coats and white masks emerged from the bank, carrying bags of money.

"Come on, get the lead out!" the one in front yelled. "Move it or—"

"Hold it!" said Kuroko, standing in their path. "I'm from Judgment! You're under arrest for destruction of property and bank robbery!"

The bandits stared blankly at Kuroko before looking at each other and bursting into laughter.

"What's with this little brat?"

"Is Judgment short on staff?"

"Hey oujo-chan, go find somewhere else to be," said the stocky one, "or you might get hurt!" The idiots are underestimating someone just because of her age. Don't they know that all of the city's most powerful espers are teenagers?

Kuroko casually sidestepped the blow before kicking the bandit's foot, "With a flunky line like that…" she then threw him with his own weight as a catalyst, leaving the poor sap in a heap on the ground. "…you're marked for death."

"Amazing!" said Saten.

"That's Kuroko for you." said Misaka.

Our heads turned to the sound of Uiharu yelling while pulling on what appeared to be a tour guide's arm, "No you can't! If you leave the square now…"

"—But!"

"What's wrong?" asked Misaka.

"Well you see—"

"—We're missing one of our boys! He said he left something on the bus a moment ago."

"—Okay, Uiharu-san and I will—"

"—I'm coming too!" said Saten.

"Let me join! I won't sit on the side while people are in trouble!" I added.

"Let's split up and search for him!"

We scattered, with Saten looking in the bushes near the plaza, Misaka searching on the bus, the tour guide looking in the area in front of the bus, while I searched the perimeter around the plaza.

"Geez, where did he go?" asked Misaka. "Maybe we should look around the square again."

We turned at the sound of a struggle, in which the third bandit cried, "Wah! What are you doing! Let me go!"

"No!" yelled Saten as the bandit tried to take the missing boy hostage.

"Damn it!" the bandit then kicked Saten in the face, knocking both her and the boy away.

"Saten!" I yelled dashing over as fast as I could. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" she said rubbing the spot where the man's foot had struck.

Kuroko had already finished subduing the second bandit with the iron nails she used on me used on me yesterday. She was about to act on the last one when her beloved Onee-sama yelled, "Kuroko!"

Misaka emerged from the smoke with her head down. If looks could kill, the one on her face would have left those three bandits dead instantly.

"From here on, this fight is now personal. I hate to do this, but I have to get involved." Arcs of electricity crackled around her once more as she looked ready to electrocute them all into submission. I wanted to get some revenge of my own, but with the aura Misaka was giving off, I'm sure I would have just gotten in her way if I intervened.

The bandit pinned by Kuroko's nails seemed to have come to a realization, "I just remembered! There's this terrifying teleporter in Judgment who will tear apart your body and soul if she catches you."

"Who are you talking about?" asked Kuroko with a glare.

The remaining bandit then made a U-turn with his car before heading straight for Misaka.

"In addition," the pinned bandit continued, "the heart and soul of that teleporter is held captive by the strongest electromaster!

"Yes," said Kuroko with a confident smile, "That girl there is the cream of the twenty three million people in Academy City." Misaka flipped an arcade coin she had gotten earlier at the game center into the air.

"The third-ranked among the seven Level 5s…"

The car advanced forwards at upwards of sixty miles per hour and only getting faster to try and run Misaka over.

However, it wasn't fast enough.

Misaka's electricity gathered into her thumb as she flicked the coin, accelerating it to three times the speed of sound, leaving a bright orange trail in its wake from the friction caused by the coin as it sailed through the air. The coin struck the car dead on, flinging the vehicle fifteen feet in the air and landed it nose first on the pavement meters behind Misaka. She brushed aside some of the hair that was in front of her face as she continued to look forward, making it appear as though she was observing the damage done by her signature move.

"The Railgun, Misaka Mikoto, my Onee-sama, the pride of Tokiwadai Middle School, the ultimate, unstoppable Electric Princess!"

"In- Incredible!" said Saten and Uiharu simultaneously, marveling at Misaka's power.

"So that's the power of a Level 5 huh?" I said to myself quietly. I felt movement from behind me and my eyes darted to the remains of the car that attempted to run over Misaka.

The bandit had crawled out of the car and pulled a pistol from his holster, "This brat…" I morphed my arm into a massive blade almost as long as I was tall. I then moved too quickly for him to see.

"Who do you think you're pointing that gun at?" I asked as I put the blade near his head. Terrified, he dropped the gun and surrendered.

Misaka walked over, "That wasn't necessary, but thanks. I have a natural radar so I would've destroyed the bullet before it arrived."

"It's better to be safe than sorry." I replied, "I wouldn't take my chances with a gun if at all possible."

"You have a point there." She glanced at my blade, "So that's your esper ability?"

"Yeah, I can shapeshift parts of my body into things like this. Pretty scary isn't it." Another half-lie, but what she doesn't know can't hurt her in this case.

"Maybe, but it's clear that you can use them the right way."

"Thanks... it means a lot coming from you."

"Hey, we're friends aren't we?" Friends huh, I guess Dad has been trying to rub off on me, since that word just felt so alien up to this point. Though I guess the number of times I've heard and used it today is making it a bit easier.

"Yeah, we're friends."

* * *

**District 7 – Public Square, 1 Hour After The Incident**

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay Saten?" I asked for probably the fifth time. "You don't know what kind of things could have been on that guy's boot? You can't risk an infection!" I mentally chuckled as I realized what I just said, the embodiment of the world's most deadly virus worrying about germs. Oh the irony.

"I told you I'm fine!" Saten said. "You're not my mother you know." she sighed.

"That was handled pretty well, Saten-san." said a certain Electric Princess as she walked over to us.

"Huh?" said Saten, confused.

"It was awfully heroic of you."

"You too, Misaka-san-" The touching moment was ruined by the Level 4 teleporter.

"Onee-sama!"

"Hey, Kuroko! Stop clinging to me!"

"Saten-san!" called Uiharu as she ran over, "Are you hurt badly?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Especially with Sieg here, he basically told the medics how to do their jobs." she said laughing.

"Hey when you live with a doctor, you pick up a few things." I said, feeling myself smile as well.

Though there was a question I had to ask.

"Say Uiharu," I began.

"Yes Sieg-san?"

"Do you think I could join Judgment?"

* * *

Yay! Another chapter finished. I began writing this chapter today because I was surprised that my second fanfiction had surpassed my first in terms of number of words. As you can probably tell, I based this on the second half of To Aru Kagaku no Railgun's first episode. I decided to not have Sieg fight here, as I felt that it would detract from the stage time of Misaka and Kuroko. I promise to allow him to show off in later chapters though. I've decided to go through with the Saten x Sieg ship since it just felt right to me. Plus I'm already imagining scenarios as I'm writing this, so there's that too. There are some minor changes to events in the story shown in the anime, but you can probably spot them.

As always, please review and favorite this story if you like it. Even if you don't, please review anyway so I can make this story better. It helps to inspire me and make this story great. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4: The Enthusiastic Walk

Disclaimer: I don't own the To Aru or the Prototype Series. All characters aside from my OCs belong to their respective owners.

* * *

**District 7 - Public Square - 1 Hour After the Incident**

* * *

"Do you think I could join Judgment?" I asked Uiharu.

"Eh? W-why would you ask that?"

"I guess you can say that I was inspired by what you, Kuroko, and Misaka did." I got up from the sidewalk, "Besides, I'm probably going to get into trouble like this again so I might as well be authorized to help right?"

"I guess... Becoming a Judgment member is hard though Sieg-san. You'll have to pass thirteen kinds of tryouts and training for four months, and sign nine contracts to join."

"Four months... that's a long time." I doubt that I'd be able to stay out of trouble for four months, fate just hates me after all.

"S-Sorry, but it's standard protocol."

"Alright then, there's no time like the present after all. I'll start tomorrow. Do you mind helping me out with the paperwork Uiharu?"

"N-No problem." she said, writing things down in her planner.

"I think it's time to go home, see you tomorrow everyone!"

* * *

**Heaven Canceller's Hospital (A.K.A. My Home)**

* * *

When I got home Jii-chan was already in the lobby looking over some papers with a somewhat cross expression on his face.

"Sieg you're home late, something happen again?"

"A robbery happened when I was hanging out with my friends."

He looked at me rather intently, "You didn't intervene did you?"

"Not this time. I let Judgment and Misaka-san take care of everything this time." I left out the part where I held my Blade at the bandit's neck since it was pretty much after everything was well and done.

"Alright then, as long as you don't get into any unnecessary trouble."

"Um, I actually wanted to join Judgment, so I'm starting the paperwork tomorrow."

He gave me a worried look sighed, "You were always one to try to help people. Just promise me won't get yourself hurt."

"You don't need to worry so much Jii-chan, not much can hurt me anyway." he once again looked rather cross. Whoops, saying something that resembled potentially lethal overconfidence in front of a doctor wasn't the brightest of ideas.

"I know that it's incredibly difficult to injure you Sieg, but you shouldn't be so casual about wading into danger. We live in a city full of people with superhuman powers, any one of them, especially the Level 5s, could have the potential to wound or kill you."

"Trust me I know, Misaka-san already shocked me with fifty thousand volts." Jii-chan gave me another look. For someone who is known to be the most caring and benevolent doctor in the city, he sure knows how to give a mean glare. "It was a misunderstanding, she thought I was a criminal and she tasered me." I summarized quickly. God I hate it when he glares like that.

"So, uh, what are you looking at Jii-chan." I asked trying to change the subject before things got out of hand.

"It's a bunch of reports of espers shorting out after their powers overloaded for some reason."

"Shorting out after an overload? How would that happen?"

"I'm not sure. This is first time I've heard reports of this, but apparently there is something called a Level Upper that is gaining popularity amongst lower level espers."

"Do you think it could be the cause?"

"Perhaps, but more evidence is needed before anyone can draw conclusions. By the way, shouldn't you be finishing your homework?"

Well, crap. He got me there. It's almost 9 o'clock and I have yet to even touch my homework. "Thanks for reminding me." I said before scampering off to my room to do it.

"Don't forget to eat dinner!" He said pointing at the fridge containing the blood packets I needed.

"Oh right, thanks!" I ran back, grabbed them and a straw before running back to my room. After quickly draining them (oddly enough AB+ always tasted the best) I began my homework.

Homework is a tortuous prospect for most students my age. After all, who wants to go over the math and science when you are trying to relish in your adolescent freedom? I myself am sometimes included in this group. Fortunately for me I have the collected knowledge of the several dozen scientists my dad consumed years ago. With backup from their memories any kind of homework involving calculations or memorization is a breeze. That is of course, until I run into my poetry project. There I'm completely on my own, and boy do I suck at it.

Here's my attempt at poetry:

* * *

_The Arctic is cold_

_Polar bears are white_

_Penguins are black and white_

_The South Pole is cold_

_The snow is white_

_Everything there is white_

* * *

"How the heck did I come up with this..." I thought aloud as I cringed at my work. I ended up just gushing out whatever was on my mind at the moment, which happened to be polar bears and penguins. Why the hell was I thinking about polar bears and penguins? Maybe I should just eat some journalist wandering the streets and then try to finish my homework. I guess I need to find something to inspire me. As much as I enjoy being at home in my nice, quiet room, I don't think I'll find what I need here. Changing into a more comfortable black, short-sleeved jacket over a white shirt I opened the window and jumped out onto the roof of the hospital. I'm surprised that the window was this big in the first place since I live in a hospital. I considered going back and leaving a note but I'd probably get back before Jii-chan realized anything.

Probably.

* * *

**Streets of Academy City**

* * *

Academy City seemed so different at night. During the day it's always crowded and full of life. With the noisy electronics, cleaning bots, colorful stores, and other things it seems like a utopia. Where I'm walking right now, surrounded by nothing but silent alleyways and shadow covered streets under the moonlight, Academy City feels like a downright dangerous place that you really don't want to be in.

Call me weird but I'm comfortable in situations like these. Aside from Saten and Uiharu I haven't really talked to anyone in school, so being completely alone is rather natural for me. It makes me wonder about how long I'm going to keep up this act. Should I just tell my friends about what I really am? No, they'd probably hate me for it if I do. I'm a monster after all, a walking plague with a human face trying to blend in amongst what is supposed to be its prey. Come to think of it, I've been using the word "friend" a whole lot more too. Dad would probably scold me for it as a sign of weakness, but honestly I've just felt better being able to say that I have some. Sometimes I wish I was just born normally like everyone else. At the very least I may not being having these depressing thoughts. Maybe I should go to therapy-

"Fukou da!" I heard someone yell. Not a phrase you use often here in Japan. It literally means, "Such misfortune!" or "Rotten luck!" but can also be translated as "Just my luck!" in English. I turned towards the direction of the voice to see a spiky haired teenager who looks a little older than me being chased by a bunch of thugs with nose and ear piercings wielding bats and crowbars.

"We'll get you back for humiliating us in front of that electric chick you damn escape artist!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Don't play dumb with us punk!"

"I seriously don't know any of you!"

For some reason I always feel compelled to help in these types of situations. Maybe it's a mental illness I have, but hell I don't know. None of the doctors in my head had it or any knowledge of it, so they aren't a help. Oh well, I was itching for a fight anyway. Let's go kick some delinquent ass!

I ran towards the commotion at my usual breakneck speed, thirty to forty miles per hour give or take a few units, before stopping in front of the stampede of piercing-wearing gang members. They stopped in surprise but quickly glared at me. They weren't as intimidating as Jii-chan though.

"A kid?" questioned the leader of the gang, a man with shoulder length black hair. "You need a grade school kid to save you punk?" Hey I don't that childish do I? Maybe I'm a bit short for my age but grade school?

"You better move kid or we'll kick your ass to get to the guy behind you." They're giving orders now? They _really_ don't know who they're messing with.

"I think that's my line dumbass. I don't know why you're chasing this guy but neither does he. Let's just get along before things get ugly."

"What did you say! Get him guys!" These guys have hair trigger tempers don't they? The first to approach was a muscle-bound bald guy who came at me swinging. A side step here, a kick to the back of the leg there, and a quick jab to the face there left him on the floor out cold.

"Grrr, what are you waiting for? Just go at him all at once!" So they actually used the few brain cells they had? Mr. Baseball Cap grabbed me from the behind before I felt the guy whose hair was dyed a dirty blond knee me between the legs.

"How'd you like that ya brat! Hurts don't it!" he sneered. It kinda hurt, but compared to a human male this didn't really hurt much at all. "Meh, not really."

I casually threw a high kick at my assailant's surprised face, knocking out a few teeth as he hit the ground with the same look on his face. I would have punched out Mr. Baseball Cap too, but the teenager from before beat me to the punch (no pun intended) and gave a mean right hook to take his unfortunate victim down instantly. Another one with a bandana came from behind me who was quickly taken care of by an uppercut from the spiky haired teen.

"Are you alright?" he asked, "He kicked you in the you know..."

"Thanks for worrying but I'm pretty good with pain."

He looked dumbstruck, "I get that look a lot."

The remaining members looked equally perplexed, I guess they were wondering how a "grade school" kid was kicking all of their asses into next week.

I glared straight at them. "Do you want to keep this going or are you going to turn around and leave?"

It was my turn to be surprised when they all pulled out handguns from their back pockets. Wow, this might actually hurt for once.

"Fuck you!" the leader screamed as they all opened fire. Unfortunately for my compatriot here, he couldn't take bullets. Luckily for him, I could.

I pushed him away and stood with my arms wide to block the barrage of bullets. It wasn't my first time eating lead, but I couldn't help but recoil as the sensation of sharp, burning pain erupted all over. I took shots to the head, legs, arms, and chest before being knocked to the ground by the force of the rounds.

"How'd you like that shitty brat!" I heard from the gang leader as he gloated over my "dead body".

"Oi! Are you alright! Say something!" said the teenager as he shook me. I didn't respond because I was still feeling groggy from the experience. Having three entire magazines of .30 caliber rounds in your body tends to do that to you.

"He's dead you idiot! That's what he gets for messing with us!"

"So you shot him? What kind of retarded justification is that you bastard!"

"Hey, we're living the tough life here you fucker. We're not the ones who got off easy with the Railgun!"

If you'd like to learn a way to piss me off, live a normal life and call it tough. Allow me to demonstrate what I do to people who do so.

"**You think your life is tough!**" I growled as I got up off the floor fully alert once more. "**You have no idea what I've been through!**" I felt myself give a very sadistic smile as I got an idea to scare the living daylights out of them. I put my hand in front of my mouth as I coughed up all of their bullets and threw them at the ground in front of me.

"**I think these are yours.**" I was having fun now, the look on their faces was priceless. They began to back away slowly in fear.

"W-what kind of monster are you?"

"**The worst kind, the one from your nightmares!" **I morphed my arm into a claw and lunged at them, stopping short as they quickly fled screaming bloody murder. At this point I was doubling over in laughter at the sight. It's pretty funny to watch some guys gloating over their victory before you send them away in utter terror. I stopped as I remembered that there was someone behind me who looked somewhere between shocked and horrified at my behavior.

Yeah, sorry you had to see (er read) that. I know I said earlier I can be a real jerk in a brawl, but sometimes I just become downright psychotic. It's not something I'm proud of.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that. I tend to get carried away with these things." I said while regaining my composure. I began to put out my hand before realizing that it was still a claw. I quickly changed it back before doing so again. "I'm Sieg." Real smooth of me there.

He blinked a couple of times before saying, "Kamijou Touma." and shaking my hand.

"You're an esper?"

"Yeah." I lied, "Thanks for your concern though."

"I'm going to call the hospital about-"

"You don't need to." I interjected, "I'm already patching myself up see?" As I pointed at the bullet holes they were already fading.

"Um, okay..." he said somewhat unnerved.

"I should be asking if you're alright, since you don't heal as fast as I do. Did anything hit you?"

He shook his head and sighed. "Just my luck. I attract all of the weird people."

I need to work on my social skills.

"Well, that's that. See you around Touma." I said before quickly leaving before things became more awkward than they already were.

* * *

As I began making my way home I couldn't help but get the feeling that I was being watched. At first I tried to shake it off as paranoia, but the feeling just kept coming back. It's only after I began to hear muttering from the rooftops above me did I realize that it wasn't just a feeling.

"Watchman to Checkmate. Hercules has shown signs of violent behavior and possible psychosis. Requesting further orders."

I haven't been called Hercules in a long while. It's their codename/call sign for me in the States since the codename for my dad was Zeus (considering how powerful he was it wasn't that far off). Only a handful of organizations on the planet call me that (or heck acknowledge I exist). I have a feeling I know exactly which one the man above me belongs to. I hugged the wall to avoid being sighted before I began to climb it as stealthily as I could. As I reached the top I was behind a man wearing black military armor and surrounded by reconnaissance equipment. Yup, Blackwatch alright. So Dad's usual paranoia wasn't so unfounded after all. I'd be happy to give my stalker a warm welcome though.

"Nice night isn't it Mr. Blackwatch soldier. Care to tell me what you're doing by stalking me across town?" I said in English.

He jumped, startled at the sight of me. "Hercules! H-how did you know I was here?"

"You're awfully loud you know? You ought to whisper when you're speaking into that walkie-talkie of yours."

I couldn't see his face behind that mask of his but the rest of him seemed to be scared stiff. I decided to break the ice a little.

"Listen, just tell your boss them I'm just trying to live a relatively normal life. Infecting the populace here is not my goal." he looked unconvinced, probably because of my display earlier.

"Yes I have my occasional lapses, but I haven't eaten anyone in years." he continued to remain unresponsive. Ugh, it's so hard to talk to people when they're frozen in fear.

Picking up his communication's device, "Hey, is this walkie-talkie connected to your home base?" I asked politely to avoid giving him a heart attack. He nodded quickly. Well that simplifies things.

I pushed the button, "Hello Checkmate, this is Hercules. Do you copy?" I said in an annoyingly cheery voice.

"Hercules! What the hell are you doing on this frequency?!"

"I heard your little scout talking to you on my way home. For special ops units you guys are awfully loud."

"Get to the damn point, I don't want to have a fucking virus wasting my time." Well he's certainly an eloquent one.

"I just want you to listen to me for one minute. I'm not my dad. Therefore I'm not going to be infecting anything or anyone. I just want to live as normal a life as possible by blending in here in a city full of superhumans."

"What in your damn mind do you think will make me believe you?" The tough minded and enthusiastic type who looks at things in black and white is a pretty good way to describe the man on the other side of this communication line. Well, I guess I'll have to start listing out reasons.

"Let's see, I'm trying out for the city's student law enforcement force. I haven't eaten anyone in years. I also haven't killed anyone who hasn't given me a reason to either. Is that good enough for you?"

"I want **concrete** evidence." This guy is a rather tough nut to crack.

"I'm living in a city full of people with super powers. If I wanted to take over the city I would probably be vaporized by the top seven in minutes. Ever think of that?" I replied hoping that he has knowledge of what a Level 5 can pull off.

"I don't give a fuck! It's my job to make sure monsters like you are contained!" Look at the entirety of your organization hypocrite.

"If that's still not enough for you, let's make a deal." I continued while rubbing my temples, "As long as you don't fire any shots, you'll never hear from me again. This includes threatening, harming, or touching me, my friends, or my family."

"What do you plan on doing if we ignore you?" God damn it he's persistent about the "we must be enemies" mentality.

I dropped the cheery tone, "_Then I __can guarantee you that I'll __start__ tearing your organization apart from the inside out __for as long as __I deem necessary__.__"_

I could hear him mulling over it, probably with a scowl on his face. Finally he replied, "Deal. But if you try anything I won't hesitate to send a strike force to take you out."

"Don't worry I know. How well did that work for you against my dad and Mr. Heller?" I casually responded as he growled loudly, "You little..."

"By the way I'd appreciate it if you'd at least call me by my real name you know, since you called Mr. Heller by his. Call me Sieg, or Mercer if you really can't stand treating me as an intelligent being. This is Sieg Mercer, over and out." I released the button and tossed the device back to the still trembling Watchman.

"You can go." I told the quivering mess on the floor as I walked towards the edge of the building.

"You're letting me leave?" asked Watchman, "Why?"

"I told you and your boss, I'm not my dad. I don't plan on murdering anyone unless they really piss me off. As long as you keep off my back, I'll keep off yours. Capiche?" he nodded again.

"Good, because I'm pooped. Good night." I concluded as I turned and hopped off the building before leaving for home.

* * *

**In Front of Heaven's Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

I ended up sprinting the rest of the way home, unwilling to really do anything for the rest of the night. I still don't have much of an idea about what to write for my poetry assignment, but I really didn't feel like getting into another fight or argument. Climbing up the side of the hospital quietly to avoid waking anyone up, I entered my room through my window. As I planted my feet firmly inside someone flicked on the light. I looked up to see Jii-chan standing there. Sigh, busted again.

"Out for an enthusiastic walk Sieg?"

"Er, yeah. How'd you know?"

"I've been your guardian for years Sieg. I know by now that gunfire and violence seem to follow you wherever you go."

"Oh. Right." was all I could say as I realized how much of a racket my activities made.

"You see, this is what I meant earlier. You constantly get into fights like these. You know I haven't a clue on how to treat you outside of giving you biomass to eat. What's going to happen when you bite off more than you can chew?"

Damn it, he loves to throw the big questions at me. At this point I really couldn't come up with a response. I just looked down rather ashamed. Getting scolded by your kindly grandfather in all but blood hurts pretty badly.

"Just finish your homework and go to bed Sieg. It's late." he turned and walked back down the hallway.

I did as I was told and once again began my dreaded poetry assignment. I think that this one is actually somewhat passable.

* * *

_My grandfather is incredibly kind,_

_As a doctor, he helps others who are in a bind_

_He picked me up of the streets,_

_And is the kindest man you'll ever meet_

_He'll save you no matter what._

_No ifs, ands, or buts_

_He's Doctor Heaven Canceller,_

_and there's no one I know who is truer_

* * *

Quite frankly it looks like the work of someone in grade school. I know I won't be winning any awards with this, but at least it's better than my first one (still wondering why I was thinking of polar bears). Afterwards I put everything away before changing again and going to bed.

* * *

**In My Mindscape**

* * *

I was woken up not long after by the blindingly white light emitted by my mindscape. My dad wants to talk to me again. Joy.

Sure enough I found him not far with with his back turned to me as usual.

"Two nights in a row Dad. That's a new record for you. Are you finally showing me your good side?"

"You're too soft kid." Don't tell me he's going to lecture me on morality again. "You could have killed all of them a dozen times over. Why didn't you?"

"I've told you for the past five years Dad, I'm not going to be you. I have a code of ethics, which you seemed to lack by the end."

"So you're going to let the humans walk all over you?"

"Are you kidding me? I gave a threat to all of Blackwatch for crying out loud. I'm not going to be a pushover Dad, but I refuse to act like a monster."

"What about your little show at the end of the fight?" Two can play at this game Dad.

"Just having a little fun. You can't tell me you didn't enjoy killing the smug faced snakes over at GENTEK and Blackwatch, Karen Parker especially."

I think I struck a nerve with that comment as he suddenly became stiff at the mention of his old girlfriend. "They'll never bother me again either, I can't say the same for your prey." he recovered.

"I'm pretty sure you heard me talking to Blackwatch. I won't raise a finger to them for as long as they don't pull anything."

"Has Blackwatch ever kept its word?" Geez, he has a point there.

"A couple of them. Cross did a pretty good job until he got eaten." The man I'm referring to was Robert Cross, one of the few decent members amongst the psychopathic legion that is Blackwatch who helped my dad cleanse New York of the first infection (but he did try to get my dad killed on the way too). Unfortunately he got eaten by the Ultimate Hunter, which was then disposed of by my dad.

"It took the threat of Manhattan getting nuked for him to wake up and smell the coffee. What kind of threat do you think will get them to do the same?"

After thinking over it for a while I ended up answering, "Nothing but me I guess. I'm not sure I'm quite enough yet but you and Mr. Heller certainly did a bang up job of scaring the crap out of them fourteen years ago."

He almost seemed to smirk at the thought, "You could too, if you'd act like what you actually are for longer than a few minutes."

"You're annoyingly determined when it comes to this whole enemy of humanity thing you know that?" I said scratching my head, "I'm not losing what little humanity I have just to be like you okay?"

"Hmph, whatever. You'll realize it sooner or later, that you can't continue acting as a human for much longer. It's morning. Get up." My vision was then clouded by pure white.

* * *

Hello again guys. It's been a while since I've had a bit of a writer's block about where to go with the plot. I thought I'd introduce Blackwatch into the plot somewhere along the way, so I thought that now would be a good spot. I've also been working on Sieg's characterization, trying to making him personable but not totally normal. Anyway the next arc is going to focus on Sieg joining Judgment, which may happen sooner than expected.

I hope you enjoyed the fourth chapter of this fanfiction. I'm going to ask you guys again to review as much as possible. But please make it a bit more in depth than, "Yay." or "Good Job." I need constructive criticism to make this story great, and only you guys can give it to me. What did you like? What didn't you like? If you can't make it sound nice just spit it out bluntly, I won't mind. That's it for this chapter, thanks for reading and keep reviewing.

P.S. Don't forget to favorite and comment this fiction, I'll be updating it fairly regularly for at least until school starts.


	5. Chapter 5: The Fateful Encounters

Disclaimer: I do not own the To Aru or the Prototype series. All characters aside from my original characters belong to their original owners.

* * *

**My Room – Heaven's Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

I got up from bed with a yawn as my alarm clock rang. Changing into my school uniform again I began preparing for another day at school. When I came down the stairs into the lobby, Jii-chan wasn't there. He left a note on the table though.

"_Sieg_, _I'm required to attend a presentation of a new experimental surgical procedure, so I probably won't be home until tomorrow. All the blood packets you need are in the fridge. Enjoy your day and stay out of trouble!"_

I just have a sinking feeling that I'll be unable to keep the last part of the promise yet again. But who knows? Maybe today will be an exception. Anyway off to school. After I draining a few blood packets and mixing my usual smoothie I headed out the door.

* * *

**Class 7-A – Sakugawa Middle School**

* * *

I managed to arrive early so I began to unpack my things quickly to make sure that the teachers would not have an excuse to yell at me. I saw Saten walk in and sit down, only for her to turn around in her seat.

"Hey Sieg, did you hear about that new rumor that sprung up last night?"

"Rumor? Excuse me for being a skeptic but I prefer the use of scientific methods of proving things over hearsay." Ugh, I'm sounding like one of those Gentek scientists.

"About an esper in the city. They say he's immortal since a gang shot him full of bullets but he got up right after." That's starting to sound familiar. "Do you know what the creepy part is?"

"I don't know, tell me." If she says what I think she's going to say...

"He coughed up all of the bullets that they put in him and threw them in front of the people who shot him!" There it is. I'm an urban legend now. Yay.

"That must be some power then." I replied feigning awe. I should know about it since it's _mine_.

"No kidding, I wonder who it could be. Another part of the rumor says that he's our age." Since when did rumors get so damned specific?

"I don't think you should believe everything you hear and read Saten." I said trying to get her to drop the subject.

"I probably wouldn't, but I went to the scene this morning and I found one of the bullets!" she said holding up a bag. I felt my jaw drop. Is this what people are into nowadays?!

"Cool isn't it? Apparently there are only twenty one of them, but I snagged one from the park yesterday!" You're happy that you managed to find a used bullet in the park. Cultural trends just keep getting weirder and weirder.

"Wouldn't that be considered evidence from a crime scene?"

"You know, I've never thought of it that way. I'll just drop it in with Uiharu to take to Anti-Skill." Wait, isn't my blood and DNA on that? Aw crap. I just shot myself in the foot by saying that (though shooting myself would hurt a lot less).

"Then again, maybe you should hold onto it. Finders keepers right?"

"Hmmm, maybe I should." Just hold onto it damn it. The bell rang not long after.

"Alright class, let us begin." And so class began for the day. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't keep my mind off the bullet Saten has. A lot of what ifs were going through my head. What if they analyze it and find my DNA on it? What if they find out that I am the one that got riddled with bullets? What if they take me in for experimentation afterward? Gah, I'm driving myself insane with these thoughts and monologues!

"Mercer." said the robotic-sounding teacher, "Pop quiz, is it possible for an esper to have two powers? Give me a yes or no along with an explanation." Not even an honorific this time, is this guy's mission in life just to try to make me miserable? Fine, at least I read the textbook while doing my homework last night. One doctorate level answer coming up.

"It is not possible to have two esper powers, _sensei_." I said with a bit of poison evident in my voice. "The reason being is that the AIM Field of an esper can only manifest in a single form which encompasses an esper's ability. For example, a pyrokinetic cannot suddenly develop hydrokinetic powers. As a result, it is a theoretical impossibility unless an esper gains control of Personal Realities themselves. I am willing to elaborate further if it is required." Take that jerkass.

He gave me another glare before straightening his glasses, "That is enough Mercer, continue your work." He turned back to the board and began writing down more problems and notes to copy. That shut him up. I then continued my work dutifully, but my mind was still focused on the potential consequences of that bullet.

* * *

**Courtyard – Sakugawa Middle School**

* * *

The rest of the school day was relatively uneventful (thank goodness) and ended up flying by quite quickly. I walked outside sipping the remains of my smoothie (human blood and whatever red colored fruit I can find) from lunch when Uiharu and Saten walked up to me.

"Good afternoon Sieg-san." said Uiharu as polite as ever. "Here is the paperwork you asked me to help fill out." She then handed me a stack of paper about an inch and a half thick. I realized there was going to be paperwork, but I didn't expect THIS much.

"All you have to do is fill out your address and medical information as well as sign every paper. I did the rest." She was up last night doing this for me? This would have taken me hours to do.

"Thanks Uiharu! You really didn't have to do that much. I owe you one."

"I-it was nothing. I didn't have much to do last night."

"Uiharu told me that you're beginning Judgment training today. Are you excited?"

"I guess, I don't really know what to expect though."

"It's basically a bunch of physical exams before they give you some hand to hand combat training. You also get training in first aid and how to respond in an emergency." She seemed to shudder at the mention of hand to hand combat training though.

"That sounds fun, so what are you guys planning on doing?"

"Misaka invited us over to her dorm room. We're probably just going to talk and hang out."

"Alright then, see you later!" We went our separate ways and I left to find the Judgment Training Center.

* * *

**Streets of Academy City**

* * *

Though it wasn't long until I remembered that _I forgot to ask Uiharu how to get the Training Center. _You'd think that with the intellectual capacity of dozens of world-class geneticists and military leaders I wouldn't make errors like this.

I then started to try and ask people left and right for directions. Problem was, there aren't that many off-duty Judgment officers in District 7 that are easy to find and no one I talked to seemed to know where it is. Argh, how could I make such a stupid mistake. I felt like tearing my hair out at my own stupidity. My self-loathing was interrupted by a voice from behind me.

"Excuse me, are you looking for the Judgment Training Center?" I turned around to see a buxom teenage girl with black hair and glasses. She looked quite mature and responsible and wore a kind expression.

"Uh, yeah. How did you know?" This was an awfully good stroke of luck.

"You made quite a fuss asking everyone for directions, they eventually came to my office and reported it to me." Did I really ask that many people for directions?

"You must be Sieg-san, Uiharu-san told me you'd be starting training today. Come on, I'll show you the way." She led me around several corners, a through couple of alleyways, and down a number of streets before we arrived at a blocky building somewhat resembling a warehouse. It was gray and white with the gray part pleated similarly to the storage crates that they use on ships.

"Here it is Sieg-san. By the way, I'm Konori Mii, Chief of the 177th branch of Judgment. When you join Judgment I'll probably be your boss. Good luck!" she then walked off.

It then dawned on me that the nice girl I just talked to would be my future boss, and that I made myself look like an annoying idiot in front of her through my earlier display. If I had a desk right now I'd follow Kuroko's lead and start slamming my head against it. Bygones are bygones though, you can't linger on the past (though mine is rather dangerous). So I headed into the training center.

* * *

**Judgment Training Center – District 7**

* * *

The best analogy I can make to describe the interior of the training center is that it resembled the interior of an Olympic sports building. There was a ton of equipment for every kind of training and preparation possible. Trampolines were used to help those with powers like teleportation improve their ability to land and aim the objects they used. More destructive powers were dampened using the nearby pool. Older trainees were practicing hand to hand combat over a gymnastics mat while younger ones were learning emergency response techniques and first aid near a blackboard. Where do I start though...

"**WHO ARE YOU!**" rang a booming, masculine voice. I turned around to see an incredibly muscular and tall man wearing a tight white dress shirt. His mustache was meticulously styled and he had only a single lock of curled hair on his head, both of which were blonde. Is he taking steroids or is he one of those super soldiers?

"I'm Sieg. I'm joining the Judgment Training Program today." I said politely and somewhat more quietly than usual. To be honest, I found the hulking man rather intimidating, and not too many things can scare me. He then stepped forward looking down at me (god damn it he's tall). What happened next is something I didn't expect.

"**EXCELLENT! **It's always great to have a new recruit who is willing to fight **IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE!**" He said with a beaming smile and patting me on the back, though it felt more like getting hit in the back with a sledgehammer. "Let us begin your examination first! **THEN** we will decide your regimen!" This guy is really loud and noisy, then again this entire city is loud and noisy.

He lead me over to a set of weights. "First we shall test the fortitude of your muscles and the constitution of your body. Please, lift any amount of weight you feel comfortable with." Well this would be rather easy for me. I walked over to the heaviest looking weights I could find and laid them all on the ends of the barbell.

"Are you sure young man? That is a dangerous amount of weight you are going to lift."

"I'll be alright." he still looked at me cautiously as I rubbed my hands together and bent down to lift it. I ended up bringing up to chest level rather easily. I then began curling the barbell about ten times before placing it gently on the floor.

"How'd I do?" I asked. I know it's probably a lot since it looked heavy, but the numbers on the weights had long since faded.

"**A MAGNIFICENT JOB YOUNG MAN!**" the burly man exclaimed, beginning to flex, "You lifted over six hundred pounds! Your muscles may not be as _wonderfully sculpted_ as mine, but your fortitude is truly astounding! A full score for this portion of your exam!" This just loves to exclaim everything doesn't he. A full score is definitely nice though.

"Next we shall evaluate how fast you can run as well as your reflexes." he said before leading me over to a running track with a variety of obstacles. Tall hurdles, automatic tetherballs, and blunt pendulums were among the many things in the way. If this were a race track for cars it'd look like Mario Kart.

I'll admit, I gulped at the sight of this thing. At the very least there isn't anything pointy that looked potentially deadly. At least, I think there isn't. It wondered if it were some kind of gauntlet that's used as an initiation ritual, since it didn't seem humanly possible to pass through without getting injured rather badly.

On the bright side, I'm not human.

"Is the use of my power allowed for this part of the exam?"

"Hmmm, I don't see why not. The higher-ups in management won't let us destroy the equipment, so please refrain from doing so." That would make it harder but it not impossible.

"Alright then-"

"**BUT I WHOLEHEARTEDLY DISAGREE WITH THIS POLICY! CREATION AND DESTRUCTION ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN! YOU MUST DESTROY SOMETHING TO CREATE SOMETHING ELSE!**" he exclaimed while continuing to flex his enormous muscles.

"So does that mean-"

"**YES YOU MAY DESTROY THE OBSTACLES IF NECESSARY!**" With that statement his shirt exploded from the sheer bulk of his muscles. I thought that could only happen in anime and manga. I guess there really are people like that in real life.

"**PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH THE COURSE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE! GET READY!**" I complied and made my way to the starting point. "**ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO!"**

I took off with a small explosion of force from my legs, running at speeds between fifty to seventy miles per hour. The initial hurdles were not an issue, I just leaped right over them with a somersault for some extra distance (and style I suppose). After landing I then sped forward once more, rapidly approaching the tetherballs. I morphed my hands into claws to slice them into ribbons as they crossed my path, not stopping for a second. So far so good.

Then came the pendulums I mentioned earlier. What to do with those... Changing my arms into blades I began to spin while sliding forward, using liquid biomass on my shoes as a lubricant. The blades cut right through them with ease, leaving the obstacles in pieces on the floor and allowing me to go through unhindered. After solidifying the biomass on my feet I continued my run.

Or at least, I tried to. I was suddenly launched into the air by a pair of springboards that I stepped on. What is this a video game? Anyway in order to avoid falling flat on my face I thinned the biomass in my body and spread it out the way I did with a glide, allowing me to return to an upright position as well as slow my descent and avoid crashing into any random hazards.

The next obstacle was a rock wall. Yes, a freaking rock wall. Why would you even need to get past all of this for a simple agility test is beyond me. I focused biomass into my limbs once more and leaped as high as I could before scrambling up it the way Spider-Man would. When I reached the top, I realized that a normal person would have to climb back down. Good thing I'm not normal then. I simply jumped down, letting gravity do the work for me. Afterward it was just a surprisingly simple sprint to the finish line.

"**A VERY FINE JOB!" **boomed the man, "That's one of the fastest times on record, only one and a half minutes!"

"Alright!" I cheered with a bit of fist pump. "Wait, who is the fastest then?"

"Shirai Kuroko. She cleared the track in under thirty seconds." Of course she did, she's a teleporter for crying out loud! She could waltz past everything with her ability!

"Well that makes sense, sorry about the equipment though."

"Do not worry about it, it's nothing a little elbow grease and glue can't fix."

If that's the case then there's nothing to worry about right?

"On to the final portion of your exam, which is to knock your opponent out of the ring." He then led me over to a boxing ring and gestured me to enter it. So this would be a test of hand to hand combat skill. Am I going to fight someone or hit a punching bag or something? Either way it couldn't be worse than the previous test right?

"Based on your previous performance the man best suited to testing your martial prowess is none other than** I**, **ALEX LOUIS ARMSTRONG!" **It just got worse.

We stood about four to five feet apart. He shifted into a stance reminiscent of a boxer, and I did the same. "**NOW BEAR WITNESS TO THE COMBAT STYLE PASSED DOWN THE ARMSTRONG LINE FOR GENERATIONS!**"

With his size I expected a slow and hard hitting opponent. However, within the first few seconds I realized one thing.

"He's fast!" I heard myself mutter as he closed the distance instantly. Despite of the fact that I dodged his first punch, a monstrous right hook, I could still feel the intense force behind the blow.

This isn't going to be easy. I tried to land a relatively weak jab on his side (I don't want to go punching holes in people) but it bounced right off his hard muscles. It's like punching a brick wall! He then swiftly turned and brought his fist downward, barely missing my head before slamming into the ring, creating a small crater, the force sending me skyward. I really don't want to get hit by that!

I unleashed a spinning ax kick upon the back of Mr. Armstrong's neck, hoping to incapacitate him. I quickly realized it was a bad idea from his reaction. Though he shifted slightly, he only took advantage of the situation and grabbed my leg before throwing me to the floor. It doesn't make sense though. That kick would have taken most people's heads off. He just shook it off as though if he were hit by a child! Still I felt a grin on my face at this. This is going to be some fight!

"**THIS IS A FIELD OF BATTLE! DO NOT HOLD BACK!" **he bellowed, only failing to smash my head into a pulp due to a timely dodge on my part. It's been a while since I've had a fight like this, and boy am I enjoying it! Since he told me to not hold back, let's give him what he wants! Getting to my feet, I threw an elbow strike at full force into his back, knocking him back and giving me some room to breathe and think. I then took a Bajiquan stance while anticipating his next move.

"That's quite a flexible combat style you have Sieg. You've been trained well."

"Thanks, I guess." It's less training and more using modified versions of moves learned by the hundreds to thousands of soldiers that my Dad ate with some inspiration from the anime I occasionally watch.

"**NOW** let us see if your combat style can match **THE ARMSTRONGS'!**" His family must be really famous for him to keep saying stuff like that, but I've never heard of him. Regardless of his ridiculously loud and boisterous personality, he's probably the most dangerous person I've ever fought at this range. I'm not kidding, he's easily as strong if not stronger than me in pure strength.

Did you ever get the feeling that the decisive blow of a match was right around the corner, and that the opponents were just about ready to finish each other off? These are the exact thoughts I have going through my mind at this moment. Armstrong seemed to have the same idea as he pressed his feet into the floor. He was going to launch himself at me to decide the match.

I did the same.

We threw ourselves at each other at the exact same time. Time seemed to slow down for me as we approached each other at blistering speeds. Gritting my teeth, I braced myself as his fist connected with my skull (or it least it would have if I had one) with the same amount of force as an anti-material rifle, that is to say a gun meant to punch through tanks. In layman's terms, that blow should have blown off my face and head, severed my brain stem, and broken my neck. How would I know this? Let's just say I had a messy run in with Blackwatch when I was seven and leave it at that.

Nevertheless, I stood firm, stamping my foot into the ground before unleashing a blow of my own, my fist rocketing towards his solar plexus. I felt the joints of my fingers connect with skin, followed by my knuckles, my fist turning to apply more and more force before I released it with a wrist flick. I felt a smile on my face as I completed the technique. "I win."

For a second there seemed to be no reaction, but my opponent then coughed saliva and blood as he was sent out of the ring, landing a few meters away. The move I just used is called the Eight Postures of the Buddha Guards, a "Super Bajiquan" maneuver I stole from a 2012 anime fight scene. It's meant to crush the lungs and heart and send your opponent flying away. It looks like it did the job. I then looked over to my opponent who laid on the floor.

For a few moments he didn't move. Uh oh, did I overdo it?

"Mr. Armstrong are you alright?!" I rushed over to him, checking for vital signs. I breathed a sigh of relief as I felt a pulse and he breathed heavily but otherwise normally. He then sat up and began patting on the back again.

"**FEW PEOPLE HAVE EVER MATCHED ME IN COMBAT LIKE THAT BEFORE! WELL DONE!"**

So I almost killed him, and he's complimenting me. It kind of reminds me of what Touma said last night. I guess he's not the only weird magnet around here.

I then heard a rough but clearly feminine voice, "Did the scion of the Armstrong family really get beaten by a child? I'm disappointed little brother." I turned to the door to see a woman with eyes of azure and waist-length blonde hair the same color as Mr. Armstrong's. She was wearing a rather regal blue officer's coat, her expression icy and haughty looking. The woman was definitely striking and feminine, but powerfully built and held a commanding presence. I could easily tell that _she was not to be trifled with._

"Sister-" began Mr. Armstrong.

"To think that father would make you head of the family. It goes to show how inexperienced you are!" she coldly while walking towards us. She than brandished an ornately decorated cutlass, "I demand a duel! The winner gets to be the head of the Armstrong family!"

"Um, excuse me. Don't you think you should go to the hospital to get checked out?" I asked Mr. Armstrong politely, interrupting their conversation. I wasn't sure if he had internal bleeding and I didn't want to take any chances.

I jumped slightly as she pointed her cutlass at me, "Medical issues can be attended to later! This is a matter of honor between my younger brother and I!" I don't know if she was being stubborn, pig-headed, or just plain medieval, but I couldn't just let this slide.

"Ms. Armstrong-"

"You will refer to me as General Armstrong!" This woman is _scary_. This is coming from the deadliest plague on the planet, so you know it's true.

"General Armstrong, would it not be best for your younger brother to be at full strength for your duel?" I asked as politely and humbly as I could to avoid inciting her wrath. I still couldn't believe that Mr. Armstrong was her _younger _brother.

She thought about it for a moment, "You have a good point. I'll contact an ambulance." She turned to her brother, "Heal as fast as possible so we may have our duel!"

She then turned back to me, "You have quite the gall to talk back to me like that. If you were one of my men I would have severely punished you." I have a feeling such a punishment would be cruel and unusually unpleasant.

She then turned her back to me. "But you've proven your mettle in battle. Not many people have faced an Armstrong in close combat and lived to tell of it."

Wait lived? Don't tell me these two have actually _killed _students during their tests!

Facing me once more she began, "I'll introduce myself to you once and only once. I am Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong of the Amestrian military. The man you fought is my younger brother, Major Alex Louis Armstrong. You've shown aptitude far beyond most students your age. I'll send the paperwork in tonight. As proctor for this year's training program I hereby grant Sieg Mercer permission to join as a member of Judgment!"

"Sister, this is unprecedented!"

"He bested you in combat my disgraceful little brother. As much as I despise the fact, few people have done so, especially one so young. In addition he already displays the ability to apply standard first aid, a necessary skill for Judgment work. The boy also seems disciplined enough. As a result I deem him more than capable in mind and body to join." she replied, sheathing her cutlass.

The ambulances then arrived, the paramedics rushed in to take Major Armstrong (they did struggle to lift his massive form) to the hospital. General Armstrong followed them with her eyes before beginning to leave.

"You'll receive your armband in the mail soon. Make this city proud young man." she said to me as she walked out.

I sat on the ground stunned for a few minutes. I wasn't really sure how to sort through my feelings at the moment. I was still terrified of General Armstrong more than any Blackwatch soldier I've ever faced. Yet at the same time I was excited and positively ecstatic to have joined Judgment, especially in such little time (I couldn't wait to see the look on Uiharu's face when I tell her that I joined Judgment in a single day). I was also in agony from the beating Major Armstrong put on me, practically everything ached or stung as if I'd been run over by a car a dozen times. I know it would go away within a couple of hours but I was still reeling from it. Clearly I'm not as invincible as I thought I was a day ago. Still, I managed to stand up with some difficulty. I then realized that most of the people in the building were staring at me in disbelief.

"_He beat Major Armstrong!_"

"_Is he even human?"_

"_He even sent him flying!_" were among the many things they muttered.

Unwilling to provide an even larger spectacle than I already have, I walked (well limped) out of the training center, running up to the top of the building before gliding most of the way home.

* * *

**Heaven Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

I walked into my home still clutching my shoulder. It didn't sting like before but I still felt a dull ache around where the joint should be. Jii-chan was still out, heck the entire hospital was practically empty with the exception of a few patients and the staff taking care of them. I checked on them just in case, but nothing was abnormal.

I took a few blood packets out of the fridge for dinner as I prepared to do my homework. After draining them I instantly felt better. All of the aches and pains vanished and I felt full of energy again, which was good since I had a lot of homework. Speaking of homework, Daigo-sensei didn't even check the poem for credit, meaning I spent all the time for absolutely nothing. I frowned at the thought. What was the point in doing homework if you're not going to be graded for it? After all was said and done, I checked my clock. Wow, only 7:00 p.m. Maybe I should go out for a walk. Then again I usually get into trouble when I do, but there's nothing to do in here. I growled in frustration as I couldn't decide what to do. You know what, screw it! I need some air to clear my head so I stop talking to myself like this. After changing my school uniform into a black zipper hoodie, I went downstairs and began to walk out the door.

But as I did I noticed that the mailbox had something in it. Inside was a small package. I didn't order anything so it came as a mystery to me. When I opened it, inside was my Judgment armband along with a note.

_Congratulations Sieg Mercer for being accepted into Judgment. Please use your abilities to defend the people of Academy City from those who abuse theirs._

I guess when General Armstrong means soon she means _soon_. I wonder if it came express delivered or something. It didn't matter much though, so I slipped it into my pocket as Kuroko does when she's not on duty. I then walked out onto the streets of Academy City once more.

* * *

**Streets of Academy City – Night Time**

* * *

While being alone at night can be unnerving, it's also quite relaxing if you get used to it. It's quiet, calm and actually pretty exciting at times. The air is cool and crisp, and there aren't many cars to cause a racket or fill the air with smog. The sights can be pretty beautiful too. Every bit of light is emphasized against the dark sky, which in itself is a marvel to see. Though tonight you can't really see it, as it's been covered with gray clouds.

Although I enjoy the night, I can list three reasons for someone to hate it. First, with the dim light and abundant shadows allow anyone to stalk you and you'd never be the wiser. Two, most people who stay out at night are rude, unpleasant, and/or violent. Third, crime and violence spike at night. All three reasons are being invoked tonight.

A man in looking like he was in his twenties bumped into my side yelling, "Out of the way!" as I turned around, a woman yelled, "Stop, thief!" I'm part of Judgment now so that's my cue! Pulling my wristband out of my pocket I quickly tied it to my shirt's right sleeve before dashing off after the purse snatcher. With my speed catching up to the thief took only a few seconds.

"I'm from Judgment! You're under arrest for thievery!" I exclaimed, mimicking Kuroko's routine.

"Move kid, before you get hurt!"

"I'd say the same to you."

"Don't say I didn't warn you kid!" he yelled as a number of random metal parts from various vehicles flew at me.

I hit the deck to dodge them as I heard them clatter against a building behind me. I instinctively shifted my right arm into its blade form, my most comfortable weapon.

"I didn't say that I could just send them in one direction did I?" Did he just telegraph his attack to me? Oh well, let's show him what happens when you do.

As I got to my feet the parts came flying back. With a swing of my blade all of the parts were cut to pieces and sent flying away.

"Now, let's try this again. You surrender, and I won't take off any limbs. Got it?" I asked with steel in my voice. He then tried to pull a pistol on me, which I promptly sliced in half. Where does everyone get their guns?

"This is your last warning." He then tried to punch me. Well, you've got to admire his tenacity at the very least. I was feeling nice today, so instead of tearing his arm into chunks I simply dodged and knocked him out with a blow to the forehead with my left hand. In hindsight it was also probably the right thing to do as I can't be sued for it. Retrieving the purse and shifting my arm back to normal, I returned to the woman. But instead of thanks, I got this lovely jewel.

"What took you so long! I swear the lazy-ass law enforcement here doesn't act quickly enough." Well now I see where Dad gets his hatred of humanity from. People like this woman here give the good humans like Saten and Uiharu a bad name.

Hiding my anger at her rudeness behind a forced smile I asked the woman, "Excuse me miss, but may I borrow a phone? I need to contact Anti-Skill."

"What so I need to do stuff for you now? You're supposed to help me, not the other way around." So, I saved her bag, all of her belongings, and probably her identity. Yet she treats me like garbage. I'm not supposed to be asking for gratitude, but is it wrong to expect a certain amount of respect?

I don't think you can blame me for losing my temper here. "Listen, if it weren't for me everything in that bag would have been gone! Just lend me your damn phone so we can get this over with and we'll never have to see each other again!" I exclaimed angrily.

Shocked by my change in tone she then handed me her phone, which happened to be a flip cell surprisingly enough. Dialing Anti-Skill, I asked them to come to my location and pick up the knocked out criminal. After returning the phone I returned to the sight where I left the thief. He was still out like a light, and I intended to keep him that way for as long as necessary. When Anti-Skill arrived the questioned me and the woman before taking the thief in. I then quickly walked away, unwilling to go anywhere near that woman again. I wonder if Kuroko has to deal with people like this on a regular basis.

I then felt someone bump into me again. Don't tell me it's another robber! I turned to see who it was and saw a girl about my height with short brown hair. She wore a Tokiwadai uniform and some strange neon-green goggles on her head. In addition, she was holding an assault rifle in her hands. As she looked up at me to see who she bumped into, I saw that it was Misaka!

"Uh, Misaka-san, why are you holding an assault rifle and why are you wearing those weird goggles?"

"I do not understand your question, nor do I recognize you. Says Misaka as she looks at you puzzled." She doesn't recognize me? Why is she speaking in the third person?

"Please leave me, I do not want you to get involved. Says Misaka as she looks at you with pleading eyes."

"Why do you need me to leave? Is something wrong?"

"I do not wish for harm to come upon you. Leave now or you may be killed. Says Misaka in an attempt to chase you away."

"I found you..." said a creepy and clearly disturbed voice from the alleyway from which Misaka came. Misaka turned around and gaped in horror as a scrawny albino teen a couple of years older than me appeared. He wore a black shirt with a white rib cage like design and jeans as well as a sadistic smile on his face. Whoever this person is, he's dangerous.

"So you've decided to get a bystander involved... how pitiful."

"Who are you, and what are you trying to do to her?" I asked with a stern glare.

"So you don't know about the experiment... too bad. I guess I'll end the both of you right here!"

He tapped a nearby dumpster with his left hand, only for it suddenly fly in our direction with the speed of a bullet! I tackled Misaka to the ground as it sailed over us.

"Sorry Misaka, but this is going to get rather bumpy!" I picked her up bridal style and began sprinting away as fast as I could.

"Don't think you can get away from me!" the boy then stamped the ground, rocketing him forward after us. He began to reach for us, Misaka in particular. I don't know what this psycho wants with her, but I sure as hell won't let him have her. I attempted to throw a kick in his direction, only for my leg to rebound and bend unnaturally. A splitting pain when through my knee as I did so, grinding my run to a halt. He landed not long after.

"It's pointless to try and run. Give her up to me and I'll let you go."

"Sorry, not going to happen." I replied as I reset my leg. It healed completely and the pain subsided. This guy has some kind of ability that lets him control forces. He's not going to be easy. Since he is way faster than me I'll have to use a different approach.

"It's clear that you don't know who I am then. I'm the strongest Level 5 in Academy City. Don't say I didn't warn you." His insane grin only grew wider as he punched a nearby building, shattering the windows before a sudden gust of wind sent the shards at us.

I ran into a nearby alleyway for cover, scaling the wall and jumping onto the next street to create some distance. If my guess about his ability is right, it's utterly pointless for me to try and fight him. I have to get away from him, but how?

"Come out, come out, wherever you are..." He's already here?!

I continued to run through the network of alleyways caused by the architecture of Academy City. Yet no matter where I went he always seemed to be not far behind, flinging projectiles all along the way.

"Misaka is unsure of your motives. Why are you helping me? Asks Misaka. My life is to be thrown away for the sake of the experiment. Says Misaka."

"Why should you throw your life away to this clown Misaka? Aren't you Tokiwadai's Ace, the cream of the crop, the unstoppable Electric Princess? I refuse to let you waste your life for a petty reason like an experiment!"

She looked downtrodden, "I am not my older sister Misaka Mikoto. Says Misaka, trying to dissuade you."

I stopped for a moment, "If you're not Misaka, then who are you?"

"I am Misaka 9980, a clone of Misaka Mikoto Onee-sama originally to be used for military purposes. I am to be killed for the completion the Level 6 Shift Experiment. Responds Misaka. I am nothing more than a mere clone, not even human. Please abandon me and save yourself. Adds Misaka with sadness."

If you'd like to learn how to piss me off, here's another great way to do it. Needlessly waste human lives for twisted, selfish goals. Being born a human is a blessing, so wasting it haphazardly is a sin I can't forgive! I swear when I get my hands on those researchers I'll tear them all to pieces!

"I've found you!" said the walking disaster as he casually strolled around the corner. As he did the walls of the nearby buildings began to crumble, threatening to cascade downward and crush us.

"Hold on a bit longer Misaka!" I sprinted out of the alleyway as fast as I could while dodging the falling debris, the albino menace not far behind. I could hear him cackling all the way, "Come on, come on!" He began muttering unintelligible gibberish as he continued to chase us. At first I was unconcerned, thinking that it was just something of a habit for the psycho. It was only until a saw a glowing orb of blue light appear in his hands did I realize something was wrong. I shifted my hold on Misaka so that I had my left arm free, turning it into a shield as fast as I could. He was going to try something big, and it wasn't going to be pleasant for me.

My suspicions were confirmed as he launched a beam of searing hot plasma at the two of us. Raising my shield I intercepted the beam and tried to deflect it away. Unfortunately, the beam was so hot that I could feel my arm melting under the heat. It slowly but surely ate through my shield, eventually tearing off my left arm, the beam continuing and hitting a gas tank, causing an explosion. At the very least, we survived the beam. But what was he going to do next?

"Accelerator you're fighting the equivalent of a Level 4 Esper. The Experiment is running in a controlled environment. Any alterations to the experiment will throw off calculations, possibly ruining your attempt to become a Level 6. Explains Misaka." said Misaka in my arms. What is she saying? Is she for real, or is she bluffing?

He glared at the two of us venomously. "Shit, you get away this time you little punk." said the newly named Accelerator, cursing under his breath. He then leaped away into the shadows.

I felt ready to collapse after the ordeal. This night was not a good one for me. Getting my arm blown off, becoming involved in some violent experiment, and barely escaping the most powerful esper in the city is not exactly what you'd call a comfortable walk in the town. Worse still was the fact that I was powerless throughout the whole ordeal to do anything about it. Still, I managed to save Misaka, or rather a little sister of hers, from dying horrifically. That made it all worth it.

I wasn't really sure what to do with Misaka 9980, so I ended up just taking her home. She needs some place to stay right?

* * *

**Heaven's Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

"Here we are Misaka, home sweet home. At least for me." I joked as we walked into the lobby. "Just wait here, I'll be back soon." I made my way to an empty operating room, looking for a scalpel. You see, when Accelerator blew off my arm with the laser, he also cauterized the remainder. As a result there's a great deal of burnt scar tissue in the way, reducing my healing ability. I plan on cutting off the burnt part so the rest of my arm could regrow.

"What are you doing? Asks Misaka earnestly." she had followed me.

I sighed. She said she wasn't human. I suppose I should show her what not human really means.

"Misaka, you told me you were a clone. That you weren't human."

"That is correct. I am a manufactured life form. Why are you telling me this? Asks Misaka, curious to your intentions."

"Well I think you are human, more human than I'll ever be." She didn't respond to that, but simply looked bemused at my statement.

"Let me tell you a secret, and please don't share this to anyone," I took a deep breath and paused, "I'm not human. I'm the world's deadliest plague given a human form by my subconscious."

"I don't understand. Says Misaka, confused at your statement."

"Let me show you, it's a bit gruesome but bear with it." I disinfected one of Jii-chan's scalpels before beginning to cut off all of the burned tissue on the stump of my left arm. When I finished black tendrils began growing out of it as I expected. They gradually twisted together, forming the shape of my forearm, then my palm, and finally my fingers. The appearance of skin grew over them before my arm was back to normal, even my burnt off sleeve was back.

"That feels better." I said as I got a feeling for my regrown arm. After assuring myself that everything was in order I turned back to Misaka.

"You see, I'm a monster since I'm capable of doing things like this. I even have to drink blood so I don't have to eat people." I tried to give her my best smile, "You are human. You may be artificial, but you're one hundred percent human. So don't you dare say otherwise!"

Her face didn't change much at first, which left me feeling kind of down. But after a few seconds the faintest of smiles appeared on her face. "Thank you. You're one of the first to treat Misaka as more than just an experiment. Says Misaka out of gratitude."

Yes! Someone I can finally talk to freely! I then began to laugh at her delayed reaction, "You really had me feeling down for a second!" I said while stifling my childish and completely random laughter. This action seemed to only puzzle Misaka's little sister even more.

"Anyway, what should I call you? If I keep calling you Misaka I'll mix up you and your older sister."

"You can call me by my identification number, 9980. Says Misaka."

"No, that's not a very human sounding name. If I'm going to come up with a nickname for you, I want it to be a nice sounding one, not a number." I thought about it for a moment. What to name her? All of the words for lightning and electricity rushed to my head. Dengeki, Raiden, Inazuma... That's it!

"How about I call you Ina? You know as in Inazuma, lightning?"

"That will suffice. Says Misaka, secretly wishing that you chose something less lame while stifling her laughter." She began to giggle, covering her mouth.

"Hey!" I said angrily as she continued to giggle, "I tried really hard to think of a name!" I took another deep breath to calm my nerves. "I remembered that I haven't told you my name yet. I'm Sieg Mercer. Just call me Sieg." I stuck out my hand for a handshake. She paused for a second before sticking out her own and shaking mine.

I began to yawn, realizing how late it is. "We should get ready to go to bed Ina, it's late."

As I was about to get ready to go to bed, the phone rang. I picked it up, "Hello?"

"Sieg, it's me."

"Hi Jii-chan! How are you?"

"I'm just checking on you since I'll be home in about twelve hours. You didn't get into trouble did you?" Sometimes I wonder of Jii-chan is a psychic since he always seems to know exactly when to ask that one question.

"No, no, of course not!" I lied, "I'm having a friend stay over though. Is that alright?"

I could hear him mull over it. I don't think he believes that I can stay out of trouble for more than a few hours. "As long as your friend doesn't mind staying in one of the empty rooms, I don't see why not."

"Thanks Jii-chan! I'll see you soon. Good night."

"Good night Sieg."

As I hung up the phone Ina let out a yawn of her own. I went into the closet to fetch a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a blanket. "You should probably brush your teeth before you go to bed. You can't risk tooth decay."

She took the toothbrush and toothpaste with a blank expression on her face. Granted that was her default expression but something seemed wrong.

"Don't tell me you've never brushed your teeth before."

She shook her head. "Geez, those cloning facilities don't teach you much do they?"

I led her over to the bathroom sink putting toothpaste on the brush. "You put toothpaste on the brush like so. Then you brush your teeth with it." I said demonstrating, "It keeps your teeth clean and your breath fresh. You try it." She blinked for a second out of confusion before attempting it herself. She began coughing as she began to swallow the toothpaste foam.

"You're not supposed to swallow the toothpaste. Here's a cup. Fill it with water from the sink and use it to rinse your mouth like this." I made swishing motions with my mouth to demonstrate before spitting. She replicated the motions. "Good, now do it one more time. I'll get a room ready for you."

After cleaning a hospital room next to mine and making the bed I returned to the bathroom. She was still standing there with the toothbrush in her hand. She held the toothbrush out to me, as if to give it back.

"Keep it, it's yours." She looked taken aback by the simple statement before glancing at the toothbrush.

"You'll probably have to replace it in a couple of months, but otherwise you can hold on to it for as long as you want. I'll show you your room."

I led her to the room that I cleaned up. "It isn't much, but I hope you'll find it comfortable enough." She surveyed the room, feeling the bed and the nightstand. She then sat down on the bed before lying down. I suppose I'll take that as a "Yes it is comfortable enough."

"See you tomorrow. I'll get you something to eat when I come home. Don't go anywhere while I'm out!" She responded with a single nod.

I closed the door to keep any noises out before returning to the bathroom to brush my own teeth and wash my face. I probably didn't need to, but it was a daily habit ground into me by Jii-chan. Afterward I could be bothered to stay awake anymore and basically collapsed on my bed.

"What a day..." was my last thought before I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Well, this is my fifth chapter everyone and my longest yet. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I basically spent my entire day writing it. I basically made up all of the different challenges in the training program since they were never elaborated upon in the novels or the anime. You may have noticed that I added the Armstrongs from _Full Metal Alchemist_. The only reason I could come up with for doing so was that I basically imagined the head of Judgment's Training Program as a hammy fitness nut. Who could possibly fit this better than Armstrong? Though I added Olivier in too for humor. About how the heck are they justified within the story... Alternate Universe Theory. I also constructed the latter half of the story to prove that Sieg's ability to succeed is not guaranteed, since I don't want to show him as an invincible hero. I've also continued with his characterization a little. How did you guys like Ina? I figured that Sieg would be bound to run into one of the Sisters sooner or later so I decided to add her in now during his first night patrol as most of the experiments took place at night (I may even consider her a possible alternative ship).

Anyway, that's it for this chapter. I understand that you guys don't always have the time or patience to deeply analyze a story, but I'm asking you to please look for any flaws or imperfections in my story and report them through a review so that I may improve my writing ability. After that rant all I can say is thanks for reading and please favorite and review if you enjoyed my story. Even if you didn't review anyway so that I can understand why.

P.S. Is anyone noticing the anime/pop culture references I've been making here and there?

P.S.S. Those rereading this chapter may have noticed that I erased one of Accelerator's lines and changed Ina's ID number. This is because I realized after some research that they caused some large continuity errors within the timeline so I changed them.


	6. Chapter 6: The Esper Power

Disclaimer: I do not own the To Aru or the Prototype series. All characters aside from my own Original Characters belong to their respective owners.

* * *

_The next thing I remember after collapsing in the alleyway was groggily waking up in a hospital bed surrounded by various pieces of medical equipment. Tubes and needles going into my arms, pads on my chest connected to where my heart should be, and a breathing mask on my face. Remembering what happened the night before I quickly looked at my hands. Much to my relief they looked completely normal. However, I clenched my head in pain at the memories of those soldiers and their dying breaths. What happened last night wasn't a dream. I knew I killed them, that I'm a murderer._

"_So you're awake." I heard an unfamiliar voice say. _

_Whipping my head around to see who it was, I saw a kindly looking bald old man with a frog like face. He also wore a white coat. The same one doctors wear. The doctors that experiment on you. The doctors that torture you. The doctors that **kill you**._

_I practically leaped out of the bed, pulling or tearing out all of the appliances attached to me before I backed into the corner. "Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me." I muttered over and over as I curled up in fear._

_I could still remember what the doctors directing the soldiers said with gleeful smiles on their faces. "Get the boy. It doesn't matter if you have to take off a few limbs. We need him for our experiments." As they said those words flashes of memories went through my mind of the people who were cried in pain at the excruciating and vile experiments conducted by those men._

_The old man in the lab coat only looked confused at my behavior for a moment before he walked over and put his hand out. "I'm not going to hurt you, my job as a doctor is to help heal people."_

_I could only stare at him shocked. "But doctors experiment on people, hurt them."_

_He eyebrows furrowed at my words before relaxing, "You can trust me, I'm not that kind of doctor."_

"_But I killed people, I'm a murderer."_

"_That doesn't matter. Any patient in my hospital is treated as such until they leave. I promise to help you until you leave this place for good."_

"_Really?" I asked with caution. I sought confirmation the only way I knew how at that age. I stuck out my pinky finger in a childish gesture. "Promise?"_

_He returned the gesture, "I promise."_

* * *

**My Room – Heaven Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

"That dream again." I said to myself as I got up to the sound of my alarm clock once more. I tend to dream about old memories rather than wild fantasies as I sleep. I don't know why, but I just do. That particular one was the first time I met and talked to Jii-chan.

After changing into my uniform, brushing my teeth, and washing my face I checked on Ina again. She was still sleeping peacefully, a peace I didn't want to disrupt. I quietly closed the door before heading down to the lobby. Jii-chan still wasn't home. As a result I went about my usual "make sure I have everything I need for school then mix blood smoothie for lunch" routine I've done everyday since fourth grade in almost total silence. Afterward there was nothing left to do but leave for school.

* * *

**Class 7-A – Sakugawa Middle School**

* * *

The sky was miserably gray and full of clouds, but the weather forecast says that it would clear up later in the day after a brief shower. The weather forecasts here in Academy City aren't really forecasts since they are one hundred percent accurate thanks to Tree Diagram, the world's most powerful supercomputer. It is aboard the satellite Orihime #1 and calculates the exact movement of particles in the atmosphere for an entire month in minutes. It's pretty handy, but you'd think there are more useful things to do with such a powerful supercomputer right?

Anyway as I entered class there was a lot of chatter going on about the unexplained property damage that occurred last night. Uiharu and Saten were talking about it as well as I sat down at my seat and began unpacking.

"Good morning guys." I said as I pulled out my notebook.

"Good morning Sieg-san. Did you hear about the property damage last night?" said Uiharu.

"Who didn't? Everyone here is talking about it." I said rather nonchalantly.

"You're not that into gossip are you Sieg?" Saten said while pouting. Comes in the territory of lacking much of a social life.

"I guess I'm not, did anything interesting happen?" Though I think I have a pretty good idea of what happened.

"They said there were dumpsters, trash bins, and rocks everywhere! One street was filled with broken glass! Another one had a gas explosion! It took hours to put out the fire!" Uiharu said excitedly.

Yup. That was my run last night in a nutshell.

"I suppose that is sort of a big deal, but don't these things happen all the time here?" I asked trying to change the subject. I don't really want people talking about my escapades.

"I guess so, but still you have to admit it's exciting!" I admit being chased by the strongest Level 5 as he tries to murder you and your friend's clone is very exciting (and freaking terrifying/dangerous).

"I guess it is." I then remembered my Judgment armband, my surefire way to change the subject.

"Say do you know what else happened last night?"

"Eh, what do you mean Sieg-san?"

I brandished my armband with a toothy smile, "I got accepted as an official member of Judgment."

"Ehhhhh!" said both of them shocked.

"But how? Uiharu said you have to go through at least four months of training before you can join!"

"I beat Major Armstrong in a fight, so his older sister acknowledged me and let me join early."

"You beat Major Armstrong! How is that possible!"

"Who's Major Armstrong?" asked Saten, completely unaware of who he is.

"He's a Major in the Amestrian military! They say that he and his older sister General Armstrong can fight Level Three and Four espers!" replied Uiharu.

"Plus he's really buff and tall, so his punches hurt." I added.

"I remember hearing something about Amestria in social studies class. It's a country in Europe right?"

"It's an Eastern European country that prides itself on its military accomplishments led by a Fuhrer like Fascist Germany."

"I see, so fighting and winning against someone from there is really tough."

"Yeah, he pounded me into the pavement before I could beat him."

"So um, I'll see you after school at the Judgment office I guess."

"Wait Uiharu, don't you remember that Misaka-san and Shirai-san invited us to the Garden of Learning!"

"That's right! I totally forgot!"

The Garden of Learning is a part of Academy City full of shops and stores as well as housing the five most prestigious girl schools in Academy City, including Tokiwadai Middle School. Entry is strictly regulated and monitored with gates and a countless number of security cameras. Above all boys aren't allowed in.

"I guess it'll just be me and Konori-senpai at the office then."

"Eh, you met Konori-senpai?"

"She gave me directions to the Training Center."

"Oh I see." The bell then rang.

"Alright class, it's time to begin." And so we sat through another day of school.

* * *

**Judgment 177th Branch Office**

* * *

After school we went our separate ways. They went to the Garden of Learning while I headed to the Judgment Office, which thankfully wasn't that far from school. The office was filled with boxes of all kinds, probably filled with files. The cubicle dividers made it seem crowded, but it's actually pretty spacious and large enough to for several people to work in comfortably.

As I walked in I saw Konori-senpai at her desk sifting through paperwork. I wasn't really sure what to do in this situation so I just knocked on a nearby cubicle divider. She looked up at her paperwork with a surprised look on her face.

"Eh, Sieg-san, what are you doing here?"

"Um, reporting for duty I guess." I showed her my armband as proof.

"You mean you cleared training in one day!"

"Uh, yes."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "Well it's always good to have another helping hand here. Since Shirai-san is out can I trust you with today's morning patrol?"

"Yes ma'am!" I said saluting.

"I almost forgot," she as reached into her desk and pulled out a small earbud like device, "don't forget your com link. You'll need it in case you need to contact the office here or Anti-Skill."

"Thank you." I said taking it from her hand, "I won't let you down!"

"I'm sure you won't."

I saluted once more before I left the building.

* * *

**Streets of Academy City**

* * *

As far as I know a patrol is simply walking around the city checking for any crimes in process before taking care of them/reporting them to Anti-Skill. Given the trouble magnet I am it really didn't take that long for me to run straight into trouble.

"Someone help!" I heard a voice yell as I walked by the park. After tying on my armband I rushed towards the sight of the commotion to see a purple haired woman in her early twenties wearing bunny ears. Her eyes were heterochromic, one blue, one red, and she otherwise wore a fairly normal outfit consisting of a loose white jacket and a black dress. She was being attacked by a bunch of delinquents with bats and other weapons. But as I looked more closely at the scene I noticed something was off. The delinquents' eyes were glazed over and their faces were blank, as though they were hypnotized.

"You there please help!" It's not like I have much choice, it's my job after all.

"Freeze! I'm from Judgment!" They didn't, instead they turned to me and began to attack!

Learning from the last time I fought a gang, I didn't play around in this fight. Aiming for the one in front, I landed a spinning high kick on one side of his head before quickly kicking it back on other side, followed by a kick to the back of his head. This is a Tae Kwan Do maneuver called Hwechook. It utilizes centrifugal force and its sequential nature in inflict maximum damage by knocking the target's head between the attacks which doubles the force of the strike. As I expected my target crumpled on the floor unconscious.

The next two rushed me together. I took a horse stance and grabbed them both by their faces the way you'd grab a bull by the horns, stopping them completely. I then knocked their heads together pretty badly, though not enough to seriously injure them. The sound of footsteps behind me indicated that the other two were trying to flank me. I let them try to tackle me to make sure they were in range. Grabbing them both with one arm each, I then performed a German suplex to knock them both out instantly. I suppose my moves were a bit flashy and slow but they got the job done.

"Thank you young man! You saved me from a lot of trouble!" said the rabbit eared woman as she came over while I dusted off my hands.

"Say, you didn't use your esper power did you?"

"No, I suppose not."

"You don't know what your esper power, is that the truth?" I felt my brow furrow. How did she know that?

"I've been watching you for a while, and I think I know what it is."

"IF you know then what is it?"

"Come and I'll show you." I could tell that something is off with this lady, and it's not just her rabbit ears. Still a chance to learn my true espers powers could prove pretty handy, so I decided to play along for the time being.

She led me over to an empty area under a bridge and pulled out from her jacket a rather ornate yet futuristic white, silver, and black gauntlet with a gray jewel inside.

"Put this on. It's called the Booster. It will let you use your powers to their fullest." I hesitated at first, expecting some kind of trap, but I eventually put it on. Despite its somewhat bulky and restrictive appearance it was actually pretty light and easy to move my hand in.

"Now imagine yourself having Misaka Mikoto's powers." Huh? Is she suggesting that I'm an electromaster? Still it couldn't hurt right? I closed my eyes and tried to envision having lightning and electricity crackling at of my fingertips. I opened them as I heard the familiar sounds coming from my gloved hand, electricity dancing in my palm.

"Whoa!" I could only marvel at the spectacle of watching lightning crackle and twist right in front of me and completely at my command. I began experimenting with it, shaping it and controlling its movements with my fingers. I even managed to playfully imitate the Raikiri from a certain ninja manga. Eat your heart out Kakashi!

"Now why don't you try shooting it?" How would you shoot lightning? I ended up just trying the fling it the way you'd fling a fastball. Sure enough a bolt of lightning shot out of my hands into empty space under the bridge. Suddenly I felt kind of tired, but it's nothing that a blood packet or two couldn't fix.

"Interesting. You only put out about two hundred million volts as your max, a fifth of the Railgun's maximum output, but still impressive." Wait, did she just say I threw two hundred million volts worth of lightning? That's crazy! At least enough to power a house for a month or short out a city block if fired at a power plant!

"I have an arcade coin here, do you mind trying to imitate the Railgun?" She wants me to try and pull of Misaka's signature move? Can you even pull that off with two hundred million volts? It's worth a shot. I flicked the coin into the air, imagining a bolt of lightning being channeled into my thumb. I then hit it with my thumb the same way you'd open a can of soda. Sure enough the coin flew at an incredible speed in an orange line before vanishing into dust. It didn't wear me out as much as last time, but I could still feel a loss of energy.

"By my calculations that only went at the speed of sound, and only a range of twenty five meters. Not as effective as the Railgun's but still but good enough."

"Now try to imagine yourself teleporting onto that bridge." Wait, what? Whatever I did just now seemed to indicate that I was an electromaster. I gave an answer yesterday to that annoying teacher that espers could not have more than one power.

"But aren't I an electromaster? I don't think you can have more than one power." I asked with a questioning look on my face.

"Don't think, just do! I don't have the time to be talked back to!" This woman sure is bossy, fine let's humor her.

I then tried to imagine myself being suddenly transported onto the bridge. I would have tried to work out the 11-dimensional spacial coordinates, but we didn't get to that in math class yet nor have I ever practiced doing so before. Much to my surprise, I suddenly found myself landing on the bridge as the rabbit eared lady expected. But this shouldn't be possible. What the heck is going on?

"Let's try one more. Try to emit an electron bean from your hand." An electron beam? Is she asking me to shoot a laser? I tried imagining a laser shooting out of my palm, but nothing happened.

"This confirms my suspicions. Your ability is to imitate powers you're familiar with up to Level 4, with Level 5 powers being scaled down to their Level 4 versions. I dub it, **Imagine Shadow**! My hypothesis was almost completely correct!" she cheered, finishing with a noblewoman's laugh of "Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho."

So I don't have two powers, just an ability that lets me imitate other powers that I'm familiar with. This could be pretty handy. The name for it sounds pretty badass too.

"Now that we're done testing, _**you'll become my servant!**_" Her voice began to echo and vibrate almost like a choir in a church. This was the catch I knew I had coming.

I began to feel kind of sick (a virus feeling sick, ha) at the sound of her voice. I put my fingers on my temples as though I were having a headache. My head felt tingly but pressured as if someone was trying to force their way into it.

"_**You will know no master other than me! You will do as I say!**_" the rabbit eared woman continued.

The feeling, however, passed. Hypnotism and mind control don't work too well on me for three reasons. One, I don't really have a human brain to control, so whatever attempts at controlling my brainwaves tend to fail. Second, my dad is living in my head too. Should anything try to influence me and by extension him, he'd start thrashing around in my mind pretty quickly. Third, I refuse to be anyone's servant. I don't mind working for people, but only if it's voluntary. Anyone who tries to pull what she just did is going to have to face the music.

"Sorry miss, but your little trick just failed."

"That's not possible!" She began to back away slowly, shocked at the ineffectiveness of her technique.

"**Now,** **tell me what exactly you were trying to do.**" I said in a low, inhuman growl, "**Depending on your answer I may spare you.**"

She began to try and flee, but I turned my left arm into what my Dad and Mr. Heller call a whipfist. I used it the same way you'd use its namesake, quickly wrapping around her leg and pulling it out from under her.

"**Now let's try this again. ****You ****can**** tell me what you were trying to do and everything you know about my power. ****Your other option is to be consumed by me and I can find out that way. ****I'll give you five seconds to make your decision.**"

"B-but!"

"**Five."**

"That's unfair!"

"**Four.**"

"You're leaving me no choice!"

"**Three.**"

"How could I possibly-"

"**Two.**"

"Bastard!"

"**One.**"

"Fine!" she cried, yanking on her rabbit ears. "I'll talk."

"That's better." I said, returning my voice to normal.

"My name is Usamimi. I've been following you for the past few days. I realized your power when I analyzed your brainwaves and AIM Diffusion field with my device. It was extraordinarily adaptive and matched any esper you were around with for a long period of time. From this I inferred that you'd be able to copy the power of any esper you are familiar with. I lured you here to test my theory! I just wanted to know all about your power! That's all I swear!" At this point she was cowering on the floor on the verge of crying.

I guess I was a bit harsh wasn't I?

"Sorry for being so harsh, it's just that I really don't want to be anyone's slave. As long as you don't do anything wrong I don't mind working with you."

She looked up at me the way a pleading child would, "Really?"

"Yeah, really." she looked joyful for a moment. "But I have to set some rules."

Her face fell a bit. "First, you can't stalk me. It's creepy. Second, I'll let you test my ability when I get a new power here. I'll have to make an appointment with you first. So you better not just pop out of nowhere and ask me! Third, you can't do anything illegal or otherwise harmful to other people. As long as you follow these rules I'll gladly work with you."

She suddenly went tsundere on me, "But a helping hand is only held out to the incompetent." she said pouting and turning her head. She's like an eight-year old.

"I guess you don't want my help then..."

"No, no, no I want your help! Pleeeeeeeease!" she pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

"Alright, alright." I said while trying to get the excitable woman to calm down. She cheered again like and danced happily before realizing how she was acting and returning to her previous haughty persona.

"Then everything went according to plan." What kind of plan involves crying on the floor like kid?

"But I have to ask what was the other ability of yours was."

"That's a secret." I said playfully with a single finger on my lips.

"Why you... Because of that I'll find out for sure!"

"**If you care about your safety then don't****. ****It's not good for your health.**" I said abruptly with complete and utter seriousness.

Her face could only be described as completely perplexed as I left the park.

* * *

**Judgment 177th Branch Office**

* * *

My newfound esper power made patrolling so much less time consuming. Being able to copy Kuroko's teleporting ability saved me a lot of walking. Though it's a bit tiring to do so and I still don't have full control over it. As a result I can only reliably teleport to places within my line of vision. The last time I tried teleporting backwards I ended up missing my target and crashing my head into a side of a three-story building before falling onto pavement. Needless to say, it hurt. Practice makes perfect I guess. I also have a lot of trouble using my powers without the Booster that Usamimi gave me. I guess she wasn't lying about its effects then. In addition, I can't use two powers at once, so I can't teleport while shooting lightning everywhere. Oh well, it's still very useful.

When I finished my patrol I walked into the Judgment office again only to see Uiharu and Kuroko.

"Konori-senpai I finished my patrol. Eh, what are you guys doing here?" Weren't they supposed to be at the Garden of Learning with Saten and Misaka?

"We were called here to investigate a string of assaults with a stun gun on Tokiwadai students. It's on our day off too." Kuroko explained. "Ow." she added after being hit of the head with a folder again.

"I told you no complaining." said our ever-responsible Konori-senpai.

"Yes, yes. Konori-senpai, you were going to show us what happened to the unconscious victims."

"There are photos but..." the Chief trailed off, "they're bad." How bad could it be?

"If you want to see you have to make sure you're ready."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, with Uiharu and Kuroko gulping. After a long silence Kuroko was the first to speak up.

"I was ready since the day I joined Judgment." Uiharu nodded in agreement.

"If that's the case..." Konori-senpai turned her laptop around for Kuroko and Uiharu to see, who gasped in shock at the sight.

"How bad is it?" I asked expecting a beaten face or something as I walked over to get a better look. What I found was something I did not expect.

All of the girls who were targeted had extremely thick and funky looking eyebrows drawn on their faces with black permanent marker. I raised an eyebrow at this. Why would you go through all of the trouble of using a stun gun if you're just going to draw on their faces?

As I looked to Uiharu and Kuroko they were trying to cover their mouths to hide their laughter.

"Come on you two, it's not that funny." Regardless they still continued to laugh despite their best efforts.

"He's right. We need to stop these attacks now. I'm sending you two in, but Sieg-san has to stay since he's a boy." Are you serious? Leaving me out just because I'm a boy... I just got an idea.

"Wait, what if I tell you I can make myself look exactly like a girl in short time?"

"Eh?" said my more experienced team members, surprised at my statement.

"Let me just go into the bathroom for a second." I entered the bathroom for some privacy as I'm not sure how they would react to my transformation.

To be honest, I've never tried changing my appearance without consuming someone first. It's to literally change into someone else without knowing what they actually look like or how they act. It still couldn't hurt to try.

I began thinking of about the appearances all the girls I know well in order to imagine a convincing feminine look. After I finished brainstorming I began the transformation. My appearance basically broke down into its basic form, a mass of black tendrils vaguely resembling a human shape. The tendrils then reassembled themselves, forming hair, skin, and eyes. I looked in the mirror at my finished appearance.

I was wearing a Tokiwadai uniform (skirt and all) along with socks and sneakers. My black hair was as long as Saten's with a red highlight but wavy at the ends like Kuroko's. My eyes were the same shape as Ina's but a light blue instead of her brown with thin eyebrows and long eyelashes. I also noticed that I was wearing a hairpin shaped like a carnation that resembled Uiharu's flower hairband. Satisfied, I opened the door and walked out.

"How do I look?" I asked in a higher sounding and more musical voice than I'm used to.

"Wow! You really look and sound like a girl, and a pretty good looking one at that." said Konori-senpai

"How did you do that?" asked Uiharu, curious at my change in appearance.

"It's part of my ability. It let's me shapeshift. But keep it a secret okay, I don't want people asking me to turn into famous celebrities or something."

"Alright then. But you better not use this ability to do anything perverted to Onee-sama!" growled Kuroko at the potentially lecherous things I could do with my ability.

"Trust me I won't." That's your job isn't it?

"So, we can't call you Sieg-san while you look like this can we."

"I suppose not." I quickly worked through possible names before settling on one. "Call me Alexis Greene." Although I'm a bit uncomfortable using Elizabeth Greene's last name (she was a living virus factory and the mother of Pariah) I thought it'd be a good name to avert suspicion towards my real identity. I think you guys all know where Alexis comes from though.

"Alright, I'm dispatching Shirai-san, Uiharu-san, and Greene-san to the Garden of Learning to conduct an investigation. Dismissed."

"Yes ma'am!" we all replied dutifully before leaving.

* * *

****** Tokiwadai Middle School** – **Garden of Learning**

* * *

After we got through the gates on the grounds of Judgment duty (and Kuroko fabricating a story to explain why I don't have an ID card) we entered the Garden of Learning. If Academy City is meant to be the future of cities thirty years from now, the Garden of Learning looks like one of those cities you see in paintings. Instead of asphalt was paved stone. Instead of skyscrapers were rustic buildings that would not have looked out of place in Italy. With the fountains, stores, and art the city was full of eye candy.

Back on topic, we entered the Judgment office at Tokiwadai about ten minutes after we entered the city. To our surprise Misaka was already there.

"Misaka-san, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Eh, do I know you?" Well shoot, I forgot I was undercover as a girl. Better start acting.

"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Alexis Greene, a Level 4 Electromaster and your biggest fan!" I said excitedly. Kuroko growled at the mention of biggest fan but I ignored her.

"Oh, well it's nice to meet you."

"It's an honor to meet you too. Do you think I could have your autograph?"

"Sure, but not now. Kuroko do you have any leads?"

"All we know is that it's a Tokiwadai hunt."

"A Tokiwadai hunt? Oh, then it's because she's wearing our uniform." I began to wonder who "she" is before realizing that an unconscious Saten was resting on the couch with a wet towel on her head. She must have been attacked, all the more reason for me to take the culprit down.

"How is she?" asked Uiharu.

"Physically, it's nothing serious. She should be fine after she lies down for a bit. It's just..." Uiharu looked troubled at the thought.

"Do you have any suspects?" asked Misaka.

"Not yet. It appears to have been an esper with a tricky ability."

"Tricky how?"

"They were invisible." answered Uiharu.

"Eh?"

Uiharu then showed us a video of a questioning between an Anti-Skill officer and a Tokiwadai student. The student was holding a fan in front of her face (probably to cover her eyebrows).

"It's true!" said the student, "I didn't see anything."

"Um, but still according to the surveillance camera images..."

The student pounded the table with her fist, startling the officer, "I don't care! I really did not see a thing!"

The video feed then cut off.

"A culprit who goes unseen by their victims..." pondered Misaka.

"At first we suspected an esper capable of optical manipulation." said Kuroko.

"There are forty-seven registered espers in Academy city who are able to make themselves disappear completely. However, each one of them has an alibi." finished Uiharu.

"They showed up on the surveillance cameras before, right? Maybe it's somewhat different than optical manipulation."

"It could be."

"Oh, a dove!" said Uiharu turning her head towards the window.

"Eh?"

"Shirai-san, you didn't notice it?"

"I didn't notice anything."

Misaka had a look of realization, "You didn't notice?"

"Uiharu-san, there's something I'd like you to check."

A few minutes later, Uiharu had a hit. "Here it is. The ability is called Dummy Check. It's the ability to impair the very awareness that a person is looking at a subject. It only corresponds to one person."

A picture was brought up of a girl with brown hair tied up in two buns with long bangs that covered her eyebrows.

"Jufuku Miho, a second-year at Sekichu Middle School."

"That's her!" yelled Kuroko as she jumped to a conclusion.

"But she is just a Level 2. Her test data says that she does not have the ability to completely conceal herself."

Misaka sighed, "I thought we were on the right track."

"I..." said Saten softly as she tried to get up from the couch.

"Saten-san!"

"Take it easy... oh." The three girls at the desk then began to giggle while covering their mouths.

"Eh?"

I sighed. Am I the only one who is going to be serious while on the job?

"Um, Saten-san, I think you should take a look in the mirror."

I handed her one from the desk. As she saw her reflection she screamed loud enough to be heard across the entire school, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"W-w-wha?!" stammered Saten as she tried to comprehend what happened to her.

"Saten-san, get a hold of yourself." said Uiharu as she tried to comfort her friend, only to burst into laughter once more.

"It must be a shock, huh?" said Misaka (no pun intended).

"If you at least had bangs like she does, you could hide them." said Kuroko in a teasing manner.

"Bangs?" asked Saten before she walked over to the computer.

"That's her!" she cried in a mix of shock and anger.

"You mean, you saw the culprit?" asked Kuroko.

"Yes... when it happened I'm sure that's who I saw in the mirror."

"Mirrors and surveillance cameras, so that's how it is. She's limited to those looking at her directly with the naked eye, as far as making you unaware of her." said Misaka thinking over the facts.

Saten began to laugh evilly, "I'm going to get her back for what she did to my eyebrows! Let's do it Uiharu!"

"Yes?" said Uiharu rather confused and concerned at her friend's demeanor.

Uiharu then began to type at an insane speed, reading five computer monitors at once.

"That's pretty amazing." noted Misaka.

"If I don't do it like this the terminal won't be able to keep up with the processing. But never mind that, the Garden of Learning isn't under the 177th Branch's jurisdiction. Are you sure we should be doing this?"

"I've just been granted permission from higher up." said Kuroko as she got off the phone.

"All right! Uiharu, give it all you've got!"

"Right. Right... go!" she hit the enter key on the keyboard.

A ton of windows opened up, each showing a live feed of a different part of the Garden of Learning.

"I've connected to all 2458 cameras in the Garden of Learning." we all marveled at the feat of programming/computer work.

"Just you wait bangs-girl, we're going to flush you out!" said Saten a little too excitedly.

"Don't forget the cake you promised me." reminded Uiharu.

"I don't care if you have three or four after this!"

"Yay!"

"That's too many." interjected Misaka.

"Eh, where's the harm in that?" cried Uiharu.

"She isn't talking about cake. Uiharu, ignore Areas E through H as well as Areas J and N."

"Okay." The sections of the map that Kuroko indicated went black.

"Those areas are the farthest from Tokiwadai. As a result our students rarely go over there."

"Then we can ignore the high-traffic areas, as well." added Misaka.

"Why is that?" asked Saten.

"The culprit's clothing would stand out in the Garden of Learning don't you think?" Misaka is pretty smart too. I guess she didn't get the title of Ranked 3rd Level 5 for just power.

"Are you saying she always uses her ability if there are people around?"

"Probably, however she can't go on using her ability forever."

"Then she has to go somewhere to catch her breath where she won't be seen."

"Exactly!"

"That means..." Uiharu then narrowed down the cameras to a mere four areas.

"Alright we have our target area, let's go apprehend the culprit!" said Kuroko as the leading Judgment field agent in the room. We moved out into our designated positions.

* * *

******Alleyways** – **Garden of Learning**

* * *

I ended up waiting in an alleyway with Saten close to where Miho was last spotted.

"So, Greene-san, what's it like being in Judgment?"

"Eh? Oh, I'm kind of new to this myself." For once this was a truth.

"I see. Do you know my friend Sieg? He just joined today."

"Oh sorry. He must have been on patrol when I reported to the office today."

"That's kind of disappointing."

"It is, I suppose. What do you think of him?" I felt a bit guilty to ask this as I was technically manipulating Saten by using my currently female identity. Still, it couldn't hurt to know right?

"What do you I think of him... Well he acts weird and scary sometimes." I guess my outbursts would disturb people. Social skills are not my strong point.

"But he's a great friend you know. He's really strong but always goes out of his way to help people and never looks down on them. I'm really glad that I got to meet him." That's what she thinks of me? It really makes me wonder how she'll feel if she finds out what I am.

"But don't tell him I said that! It'd be really embarrassing if I just gushed all of a sudden."

"Don't worry I won't." "Alexis" won't need to anyway.

I then saw a familiar girl with twin buns and bangs moving walk through an alleyway that crossed the one we were hiding in. "Wait... Saten-san. I think that's her."

"You're right!" she began to exclaim.

I put my finger to my lips to get her to quiet down, "I'll take her from the front, you get her from behind."

She nodded silently in response and crept up behind Miho silently. I ran outside of the alleyway and tried to take her from the front. However, by the time I arrived Miho was already gone.

"Darn it! I was too slow, she's gone."

"She really disappeared!"

"This is no time to be impressed! Go after her!" Uiharu scolded over the com link.

"Ah, right." the both of us said while Saten straightened the hat which covered her eyebrows.

We ran out of the alleyway after Miho.

"Sorry, coming through!" Saten bumped into a bunch of girls in Tokiwadai uniforms holding crepes, coating them with cream.

"Hey!"

I rushed past them as well, "Sorry about that!"

We followed our target with instructions from Uiharu.

"Take a left down the alleyway and then go on to 3rd street."

"Take a right down 4th street and take the alleyway on your right."

"Go down 2nd street and take the alleyway on your left."

We couldn't catch her, but we definitely heard her tired breaths as she continued to try and flee us, only to be blocked off at every turn.

Uiharu continued to give us directions while she hummed cheerfully, probably thinking about cake if I know her well enough by now.

Eventually we cornered her in a park near the center of the Garden. She eventually faded into view to catch her breath, only to gasp in shock as she saw Misaka waiting for her on the swing. Kuroko and Saten arrived on both sides of me.

"Our little game of tag... is over." said Misaka to Miho.

"Why won't my Dummy Check work?" the girl with bangs asked.

"Who knows?"

"That's why I hate you Tokiwadai girls!" the culprit cried while revealing a stun gun. She then proceeded to activate it and charged at Misaka. It made contact with Misaka's shirt with an audible, "Bzzzt." Miho seemed smug for a moment, but the look on her face turned into shock once more as Misaka looked completely unfazed by the attack, as if she barely noticed it at all. It isn't really surprising as the Railgun is known to channel millions of volts of electricity casually. A five thousand volt stun gun isn't going to do much to her.

"Too bad. Things like that don't work on me." Misaka said as she created a small electric spark between two of her fingers.

"Um..."

Misaka then touched Miho's arm with her pointer finger, leading the unfortunate girl to let out a "Kyaaaa!" before collapsing unconscious. Misaka is a walking stun gun herself. I know first hand.

"I went easy on her, understand?"

"Uiharu," called Kuroko, "Tell Anti-Skill that we apprehended the target."

"Good work."

Miho was laid on a bench so that she wouldn't be on the ground and getting dirty while she was unconscious. Saten had other plans for her though.

We looked on cautiously as Saten began to laugh somewhat evilly, "Now then... what kind of eyebrows should I give you-"

As Saten lifted Miho's bangs she found a pair of of short, thick, but tall eyebrows.

Miho then regained consciousness and realized that her eyebrows were seen, "No!" she cried.

"Um..."

"They're weird right?"

"Huh, um..." I don't think anyone here had a clue what to say.

"Go ahead and laugh! Just like that guy did!"

"That guy?" I have a feeling this is leading to a flashback of some kind.

"It was spring and I was dozing off in the glorious sunlight." Miho began recounting some traumatic past experience.

"I naively believed that these days of bliss would continue on forever."

"But then... Spring came to an end."

"Why? Are girls from Tokiwadai that much better?" she cried, apparently talking to the boyfriend who dumped her.

"It's just that.. your eyebrows are weird." he apparently replied. Her bangs then suddenly flew back for no reason as her face took an utterly shocked and heartbroken expression.

"I hate the boy who had cast me aside, and I hate the girl who took him from me, and most of all..."

"I hate all of the eyebrows in the world! That's why I decided to give everybody weird eyebrows!"

"Uh..." How do you even respond to a confession like that?

"Sorry, but we lost you about halfway through." said Misaka, who was just as confused as I was.

"What's wrong?" asked Miho to Saten, "What's the matter? Come on, laugh at me!" she said while showing off her eyebrows.

"Um... They're not weird." replied Saten. "They're not too.. that is... Yeah! They're a charm point! I really like them!" Now she lost me. How could one find eyebrows that look like they came straight out of an exorcist manga to be a charm point? Whatever the reason the compliment was apparently enough to warm Miho's frozen heart as she began blushing at the compliment.

"What a tease." noted Kuroko. Saten, shocked by the rebuttal of her attempts to comfort Miho replied with an, "Ehhhhhh!" There's too much screaming going on around here.

When Anti-Skill came Miho willingly stepped into the vehicle, but not before turning to Saten and asking, "Um, is it okay for me to send you a letter?" while still blushing from Saten's flattery.

"Sure." Saten replied while nodding politely. After she was taken into custody Misaka brought up another conversation.

"So, she was able to make herself disappear completely, huh?"

"Come to think of it, she was supposed to be just a Level 2. That _is_ odd." replied her number one fan.

"You don't think the information in the database was wrong, do you?

"That's impossible!" It brings up another question though. If the database isn't wrong, then how did she get a power spike to Level 3 in such a short amount of time. I brushed it aside though, thinking nothing of it for a while. It would later come back to haunt me.

* * *

Back to the present, we walked to the Italian pastry shop that Uiharu and Saten were talking about. All of the pastries looked as good as they sounded. I took my wallet out of my pocket and decided to buy a fruit tart for Ina, a slice of blueberry cake for Jii-chan, and a strawberry crostata for me. It was a bit pricey coming out at over two thousand yen, but I think it's worth it considering this shop's apparent reputation (and the fact that I'd probably never be able to come here again).

I looked over at Uiharu, who was happily digging into several slices of various cakes and pastries that Saten had promised her.

"Are you sure you can finish all that Uiharu-san?"

"I told you it'll be alright!"

"Okay then, don't complain if you have a stomachache the next day."

Kuroko suddenly had a deviously mischievous look on her face, "Say, Greene-san, are you going to tell Saten-san and Onee-sama your little secret?"

The two of them turned to me, "Eh, what secret?"

"I thought I'd told you to keep that on the down low!" I said with a stern face. Is she just trying to embarrass me like that teacher at school?

"Come on, what's the harm?" she said teasingly. She planned this all out didn't she.

"Ugh, fine. Kuroko you're evil." She began to laugh somewhat haughtily with a hand over her mouth.

I went into the bathroom and locked the door. My appearance broke down once more as I began reverting it back to normal. Once I finished I looked in the mirror to make sure I didn't suddenly disfigure myself. Good, nothing out of the ordinary. I then unlocked the door and walked out.

"Hi guys." I said in my normal voice while scratching the back of my head sheepishly.

"Wait, that means..."

"Yeah, I used my ability to take the appearance of a girl so I could help investigate. Though I didn't really do much in the end."

Saten then blushed, realizing that she had gushed to me earlier before running over and slapping me.

"Don't you ever trick me like that again!"

"I didn't really want to... it was out of necessity. I promise I'll never do it again."

"Fine, I'll forgive you this time." she pouted, still blushing.

"You better not do anything funny with an ability like that." warned Misaka with a few arcs of lightning around her head.

"Kuroko said the same thing to me earlier today." as I slumped over at the accusations. Why does every girl think I'm a pervert? Everyone in the store began to laugh at our antics. I couldn't help but crack a smile as well.

"Well I guess it's time to go." I said, pulling out the Booster and putting my right hand into it.

"Since you had the audacity to embarrass me Kuroko, it would be wrong not to return the favor." I put my pointer and middle fingers on my forehead like a salute. "See you later, everyone!" I said before teleporting out of the shop, noticing Kuroko's shocked face as I left.

* * *

**Main Lobby – Heaven Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

I ended up teleporting the rest of the way home. As a result, it only took about ten minutes. Granted I was a bit out of breath by the end (you try working out all of the coordinates to accurately plot a mile trip while teleporting), but otherwise I was completely okay and in one piece, cake included.

"Jii-chan, I'm home!"

"Late again Sieg, what was it this time?"

"Don't worry, I have a good excuse." I reached into my pocket again, pulling out my Judgment armband once more. "I had Judgment duty!"

He sighed, "You also have a good excuse to charge into dangerous situations now too." I'm worrying him again.

I frowned at my grandfather's pessimistic attitude. Remembering my esper power, I decided to show him. "I picked up some new tricks though, take a look." I held out my gloved hand and let the electricity dance across it.

"I found out what my esper power is, it lets me copy the abilities of espers I'm around often. But only up to Level 4." I ended up shaking my hand a bit to get the lightning to vanish.

"I still need some practice, but so far I can use a Level 4 version of Misaka-san's powers as well as teleport. So don't worry so much Jii-chan! I'll be fine."

He smirked a little at my attempts to reassure him. "You're always full of surprises aren't you Sieg."

"It's what I live for!" I looked around, noticing Ina's absence. "Speaking of surprises, I brought home some pastries to surprise you and Ina, where is she?"

"If you're talking about that girl, she left an hour ago. She said she didn't want to bother you."

This is one of those times where you have to go, "Oh crap." I was the one to start worrying now. Putting down the pastries and grabbing a blood packet out of the fridge I began running out the door.

"Sieg, where are you going!"

"I'll be right back!" I poked a hole in it and sucked all the blood out of it in about three seconds before running off into the night after her. I have a feeling I know exactly where she was going, and I hope I'm not too late.

* * *

**Alleyways – Streets of Academy City**

* * *

I returned to the alleyway where I first bumped into Ina, the debris still littering the ground. She wasn't there but I could still feel her presence somehow. Maybe it was because of my new electrical powers, but I didn't care at the time. All I knew was that she was here, and that she wasn't too far away.

I turned on thermal vision to hopefully catch a glimpse of her. Unfortunately, I didn't see much aside from people inside their homes. However, what caught my eye was an out of place fire a few blocks away. Unless there's a new arsonist on the loose I'm sure that's where Ina is. I quickly made my way over there via teleportation, where I found the albino menace at it again. Ina was crumpled on the floor unconscious, her attacker slowly sauntering over to her.

My face twisted into a scowl, "**What the hell do you think you're doing Accelerator!**"

He turned around, "So it's the shitty brat from last night... did you come here to die too?"

"**Get the hell away from her you psycho!**"

"What are you going to do about it? Last time you couldn't even touch me, much less hurt me. If you walk away with your tail between your legs I'll forget this ever happened."

I managed to calm myself down a little. Getting agitated wasn't going to solve any of my problems right now. (though it does solve a lot of them for me). "I've figured out your ability strongest one. It's Vector Manipulation isn't it?"

"Bravo, are you expecting me to applaud you or something?"

"Didn't think you would, but I can hurt you now. That means **I can kill you now.**"

He began to cackle maniacally once more with his hand on his face, as if he was being challenged by a child. "**Then why don't you come and prove it then!**" He stamped the ground, causing the road to explode upward, showering the area with sharp chunks of asphalt.

I transformed my arm into its blade form, slicing through the debris while making my way towards the bastard who dared to hurt Ina. But first, I needed to test something. I tried to teleport half a dozen of the shards past his barrier straight into his limbs to incapacitate him. However, what happened in the end was that the debris I teleported was sent right back, being teleported straight into my torso, arms, and legs instead. So teleportation is still considered a vector, and that barrier reverses every vector that comes towards it. That confirmed my theory, so I know exactly how to hit the son of a bitch now.

"What's wrong? I thought you said you figured out my ability. Surely this isn't the best you can do!"

"You're right, it isn't." I replied while pulling the shards out of my body, which quickly repaired itself. I then gave my own burst of sadistic laughter, "Oh god, it's hilarious how high and mighty you think you are! Strongest esper my ass. You have to hide behind that barrier in order to even last in a fight." I couldn't wait to wipe the cocky smirk of that dirt bag's face.

"What kind of shit are you trying to pull?"

"You may be powerful, but your ability has so many holes in it I'm surprised no one figured it out yet. So you know what strongest one, let's make a bet. I bet that I'll be able to wipe that smug look off your face is the next ten seconds. If you win, I'll let you kill me too. If I win, both Ina and I walk away. Got it?"

"Getting cocky aren't we? Have you forgotten who burned off your arm last time?"

"My arm is back isn't it? Answer my question, do we have a deal?"

He scoffed at my seemingly reckless proposal, "I couldn't care less. We have a deal, but you better say your prayers since I can't wait to see you grovel on the floor for mercy!"

"Don't worry, you won't see anything. **You'll be on the floor faster than you can blink.**"

"I'd like to see that-" I teleported right in front of him.

I began to throw a punch right at his ugly mug. Confident in his abilities, he didn't bother to dodge. It was the worst mistake he made in his life.

"**Take a dirt nap ****r****anked ****fi****rst Level 5!**" I pulled my arm back suddenly with great force, only for his barrier to read the vector and reverse it, bringing my fist straight into Accelerator's formerly smug face. His expression turned into one of shock as my knuckles made contact with his jaw. He was sent cartwheeling backwards onto the pavement. Even though I said ten seconds he didn't even last one.

Despite my boast I ended up holding back again because I wanted him to live with the shame of being defeated by a "shitty brat". I walked over to his prone form and kicked him in the shin and spat on him to make sure he was really unconscious. He didn't move, but I could still feel his pulse, so he was alive. Perfect.

I then rushed to the side of Misaka's little sister. She was alive, but not doing well. Her breaths were heavy and quick, her pulse faint. I began administering CPR immediately. As much as I didn't want to risk infecting her, it was now or never. I lightly pressed down on her chest thirty times the same way a paramedic would before checking her airway and pressing my lips to hers to try and give her air. I repeated this two more times. There wasn't much improvement, but her breathing stabilized at the very least. I checked her with infected vision to make sure I didn't accidentally infect her, which I thankfully didn't.

"I'm sorry I let this happen to you Ina." I whispered in her ear as I picked her up gently before I began teleporting back home to rush her into an operating room.

* * *

**Heaven Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

"Jii-chan we have a problem!" I yelled as I rushed through the doors of the hospital.

'Sieg what is-" he stopped as he saw Ina clearly injured in my arms.

"I managed to stabilize her breathing but her pulse keeps growing more faint."

"Get her into the operating room, I'll take it from there." I listened to instructions and laid her carefully on the operating table.

"Get well soon Ina." Jii-chan was already in full operating gear with an array of surgical tools at the ready. I knew that even if I tried to help I'd probably just contaminate the tools, so I left Jii-chan to do his work. I went off to get my homework over with as Jii-chan would scold me if I procrastinated, even though it was a Friday. Despite my attempts to assure myself that nothing would go wrong I continued to worry about Ina the whole time.

I had total faith in Jii-chan, after all he's probably one of the best if not the single best surgeon in the world. There's a reason why they call him Heaven Canceller. Regardless I still couldn't help but worry about her. Ina is a lot like me in many ways. She is an artificial life form created in a lab who was never meant to exist, a lot like the virus I was born from. Like me she was hunted down by madmen for the sake of experimentation. In addition, she has a famous "original" who was known for doing amazing things, a lot like my dad. I was snapped out of my thoughts I saw Jii-chan walk into my room.

"How is she?"

"Who do you think I am?" he smiled, "You can relax. She's isn't quite out of the woods yet but with all likelihood she'll make a full recovery."

I felt my worry and anguish in my chest dissipate as I sighed with relief.

"I must admit it's quite a miracle she even survived her ordeal. Broken ribs, a ruptured lung, torn muscles, several lacerations, and a large amount of blunt force trauma to the head. What I found really odd was that she was clutching this toothbrush in her right hand the whole time." As Jii-chan opened his palm I saw the toothbrush I had given to her last night.

"Oh, I gave that to her last night."

"Is that so? Would you like to tell me the full story? I don't believe that most girls treasure their hygienic tools." Uh oh, he caught me. Again.

"I guess I'll tell you the whole story then. Last night I went for another one of my walks after I got my Judgment armband in the mail. After arresting a man for purse snatching I bumped into Ina. Her official name is Misaka 9980, a clone of Misaka-san."

Jii-chan's eyes narrowed upon hearing the phrase _clone of Misaka-san_. "Then what happened?"

"She was being chased by the ranked first Level 5, Accelerator, for the Level 6 Shift Experiment. As you can guess the experiment involved killing Ina and many other clones like her to get Accelerator to become a Level 6. I eventually figured out that his ability was Vector Manipulation, but at the time I couldn't even land a single hit on him. I grabbed Ina and began to flee but he gave chase. She tried to dissuade me from helping her by explaining her origins."

I knocked myself on the head lightly with my knuckles, "Of course, given how hard-headed I am I helped her anyway. When Accelerator caught up he fired a beam of plasma at the two of us. I managed to deflect it slightly with my shield, but it burnt off most of my left arm in the process. After Ina told Accelerator that killing me may ruin his chances of becoming a Level 6 he fled. I then brought her here to keep her safe. I named her so I wouldn't have to keep calling her Misaka 9980 all the time. She didn't know how to brush her teeth so I taught her and let her keep the toothbrush."

"Then what happened today is a follow up to that."

"Er, yeah. When you said Ina left I had a gut feeling that she'd go back to the experiment again. I bolted out the door to go save her."

"And it looks like you succeeded. But what happened to Accelerator?"

I punched my left hand with my right in a triumphant gesture, "I kicked his ass!" I said rather excitedly with a grin.

Jii-chan gave me another one of his glares as if to say, "Language."

I felt embarrassed again, "Sorry. Anyway that's the full story."

"Well, I can certainly say you've been doing your fair share of good deeds lately. If I didn't know any better I'd say that the toothbrush you gave her reminded her of you and gave her a reason to keep on living. It's a bit superstitious but it's a nice thought to have. Enough of that, it's almost midnight Sieg. Go to bed soon. You'll be able to talk to her in the morning." He then left the room, leaving me all alone to think.

I'm not one who enjoys meditating and contemplating my navel so I'll keep things brief. The closest thing to an introspection I can give at the moment is what I'm worried about most, that is my friends figuring out that I'm not quite human. To quote my dad, I'm something less than human, yet something more. I have incredible physical abilities beyond any human on top of an extremely cool esper power. Heck I even punched out the strongest esper in the city. In hindsight I've been acting kind of like a superhero lately.

But yet these powers also make me a monster like few the world have ever seen. If I were to go off the deep end like my dad did I could potentially end human civilization as we know it. I drink blood just to avoid eating people, I constantly pick fights just to sate my bloodlust, and I have trouble interacting peacefully with others outside of my few friends. I'm even not sure if I should be called a person. What would you call me? Because of this, sometimes I wonder why I help people. Is it some sort of guilt factor for being different? Do I have some sort of psychological need to do so, (I think it's called chronic hero syndrome)? Maybe my life is just one messed up story for some all-seeing being's amusement. Sigh, I think that's enough for one night. I hit the hay not long after my long winded introspection of sorts.

* * *

**In My Mindscape**

* * *

It took all of ten minutes for me to wake up in my mindscape again. My dad had his back turned to me again, but he seemed more calm and less predatory than usual.

"You didn't even give me a half hour of sleep Dad. What do you want to talk about?" I said with a yawn.

"I have to say kid, what you did tonight was impressive." Wait, did he just compliment me?

I raised an eyebrow at this, "Are you feeling alright Dad?"

He scoffed at my comment, "I give you praise for once and you give me that for a response. You're an ungrateful little brat you know that?"

That means he sincerely meant that compliment, wow.

"It's not that, it's just awfully out of character for you is all. I mean the last time you gave praise was when Mr. Heller consumed you, and even that was a little sarcastic."

"What, do you think I'm so evil that I won't give credit and praise when it's due?"

"To be honest, yes until now. You really are nice under that cold and murderous exterior Dad."

"Don't let it go to your head. This is a one time thing since you actually put your foot down and proved your superiority."

"You don't need to worry about that. There's always the other Level 5s to put me in my place if I do. Plus I could still spar with you in here."

He turned to me, "Damn straight. Are you feeling up for one now?"

"I'm a bit sleepy, but we haven't had one in a while. Sure, why not?"

"I was hoping you'd say that." He then morphed his arms into claws. I responded with the same.

"You better not have gotten complacent with those esper powers of yours. Here I come kid!" he remarked before we then lunged at each other the way two competing hunters would in the wild.

We tore at each other in wild, primal fury, enjoying every moment of it. As much as I'd hate to admit it, these little fights I have with my Dad are probably the times where I have the most fun with my powers. I can just cut loose, no need to worry about killing or infecting anyone, just pure, violent fun. I guess you could call it our version of father-son bonding. Yeah my life is weird like this.

After we traded blows for a while, my dad got tired of me aiming for his joints all the time and quickly covered himself in armor made of resilient black biomass. It made him look almost alien, as despite its coloration it remained biological in appearance, as if it were crafted out of some large insect's carapace.

"Hey, no fair! I still haven't figured out how to do that yet!" I whined rather childishly.

"Everything is fair in love and war kid, and I'm positive this counts as war!" his voice echoing from within his helmet. He then crouched briefly before leaping at me to get a swipe my neck.

The thing about armor is that while it makes my dad all but invincible to anything short of an anti-tank rifle in power, it makes him a lot slower too. I ducked under his claw and grabbed him, judo throwing him to ground before I tried to slicing open his armor with my claws. Unfortunately, they could only make a scratch before my dad threw me off with his superior strength.

"Darn, almost had you there."

"Not even close, kid. You've got to do better than that."

"Alright then, you asked for it Dad!" I morphed my arms into blades before charging them with electricity, vibrating the edges with the electromagnetic forces. I got the idea from the fact that Misaka is known for using iron sand like a sword by rapidly moving the particles back and forth like a chainsaw. Could the principle apply to my blades too?

This was as good a time as any to find out. I charged straight at my dad at full speed, slamming into him with shoulder before I began lashing out at him in a frenzy of attacks. Sure enough my blades ended up cleaving right through the armor like I wanted it to. This is a new trick I could use.

But my dad isn't one to take things like this lying down, morphing his arms into hammerfists he caught me during a lag in my attacks and launched me backward with a single blow, slamming me into the wall.

I rubbed my head to get rid of the pain caused by the shock of the impact. "Ow... nice one Dad."

"Not bad with that electric trick, but that alone isn't enough. Ready for round two?"

"You bet!" I settled on my muscle mass power for close combat, my arms hulking out and turning pitch black.

He took the initiative and came at me head on, slamming the ground where I stood, just barely missing my legs due to a timely back step on my part. I then let out a flurry of blows to try and push back his assault. Noticing a slight pause in his attempts to block I threw a punch at his face, sending him flying backward much like he did with me not too long ago.

"Nice punch kid, last time it barely moved my head." he remarked while rubbing his jaw.

"I've been working out!" I joked while flexing a bicep.

He chuckled at that one. It's times like these that you often forget that you and your dad are superhuman juggernauts capable of causing the zombie apocalypse.

I then felt myself trip and hit the floor hard. Looking down I saw that my dad had wrapped his arm (in whipfist form) around my leg. Turning my left arm into a whipfist myself, I extended it and managed to grab him by the shoulder and pull him to the floor. His then armor dissolved, I guess he didn't feel like just blocking anymore. He then turned his free hand into a blade and cut off my arm to untangle himself. I ended up returning the favor, both of us recoiling from the loss of a limb.

"I didn't know that dismemberment was allowed."

"I never really avoided it unless I had to."

"Good point. It still stings though."

"Can't argue with that."

I shook my hand as if it were on fire as it regrew with a stinging sensation, the feeling of pins and needles all over. Losing a limb really sucks, even when you can regrow it with relative ease. My dad was more nonchalant about it and simply watched his regrow.

When we finished healing it was my turn to try and blitz my opponent as I rushed at him with claws at hand once more. My dad apparently saw this coming though, as he deftly dodged my strikes before tripping me again with a leg sweep. I knew what was coming was going to hurt, so I instinctively built my shields on my arms in attempt to block whatever was coming.

What I didn't expect was for him to grapple me to the floor and pull my shields out of the way with his own muscle mass power. He then started a no-holds barred beatdown as I pitifully tried to block his attacks with my arms.

"Hey, this is child abuse!" I quipped as my dad continued to beat me to a pulp.

"Then you shouldn't have gotten yourself caught in this situation!"

I braced myself for each blow as they came down like a cascade of sledgehammers. This is one of the few times that I'll say that something _really _hurts. Then suddenly the blows stopped hurting as much, heck I barely felt them. Opening my eyes I saw that my vision was tinted a faint black. Looking at my arms and chest I saw that they were covered in a familiar looking hard, black substance. With the reduced pain I managed to think clearly enough to throw my dad off with my legs and get back on my feet. To my surprise my movements didn't feel all that restricted. In fact, the armor felt like it weighed nothing at all. To test my range of movement I ended up bending and twisting around to get a good look at the rest of the armor, which looked slightly thinner than my dad's but otherwise identical. I had trouble doing things like bend head over heels but it otherwise felt just fine.

"Awesome, my armor finally works!" I said as I marveled at my new ability.

"Took you long enough. What I can't believe is that it took a beating from me for you to figure it out." He really enjoys bursting my bubble doesn't he?

"You didn't figure it out on your own either! You had to get a parasite out of your body!"

"Whatever, it looks like yours is less restrictive than mine. Now let's test out its durability!"

He turned his arm back to a blade and rushed at me with his trademark Blade Frenzy technique, lashing at me with lightning speed as I guarded with my arms to make sure they didn't hit potentially vital areas. His blade managed to scratch my armor in several places, but otherwise it was intact.

Despite how amazing and potentially useful my armor is, I dismissed it as I got into a fight ready stance again. While it didn't restrain my movements that much I certainly felt a bit slower than usual, something I can't afford against someone who can outrun a speeding car with ease. I turned my arm into a blade once more as my dad threw himself at me for what we call an Air Slice. A word of advice if you ever happen to piss a Blacklight being off. When one of us is in the air with their blade out you should probably want to dodge. Want a good reason? My dad and Mr. Heller made extensive use of it to cleave _entire tanks_ in half in _one strike_.

I dived to the floor and rolled out the way in time as my dad swung at empty air. I quickly brought my the edge of my blade arm up next to my dad's neck as he did the same. We both relaxed and returned our limbs to normal.

"Thanks for the fight Dad, it really helped me blow off steam."

"Anytime, kid. It's boring as fuck just watching you from in here."

"I'd imagine it would be. I should probably just let you go out for a day sometime. Maybe for Father's Day."

"As much as I'd like to take you up on that offer the world would panic if Alex Mercer suddenly returned to the realm of the living."

"I guess so." We both broke out laughing at the thought of the mass hysteria my dad would cause.

When we finished my dad delivered some dreadful news, "It's morning kid, you should probably get up."

"God damn it already? But it's Saturday!" I whined again. Who wants to get up early on the weekend?

"The feeling is mutual, but the old man will have your head and mine if you get up too late. Besides, don't you have a girl to say good morning to?" Come to think of it, in the heat of the fight I completely forgot about Ina.

"You're right. Thanks again Dad, see you around."

He silently replied with a small but genuinely friendly smile as he turned around again. My vision was then completely flooded with bright white light.

* * *

My first chapter that's over ten thousand words long! This was another fun chapter to write. What do you guys think of Imagine Shadow? I took the idea from the mobile game where the player character has such a power. I put some restrictions on it that were not seen in the game but also opened up a lot of options too (in the game you could copy any power, but only by invoking the corresponding cards which I did away with) for the sake of balance. The gender-bending idea came into my mind as I realized that Alex probably took the forms of several women during his stealthier exploits as well as his time as King of the Infected. Though I do feel that I made the fight with Accelerator was somewhat anticlimactic, I hope Sieg's fight with his dad made up for it.

Please review as much as possible. I like to find flaws in my writing ASAP so I can fix them. Keep it constructive though, the closest I've gotten to that was a death threat should I pair Sieg and Ina. I have to admit it was entertaining though.

Please critique and give me a favorite if you want to see more of this story. Even if you don't like the story, review anyway so I can make it better. That's it for now, thanks for reading everyone!


	7. Chapter 7: The Calm

Disclaimer: I don't own the To Aru or the Prototype series. All characters aside from my own original characters belong to their respective owners.

* * *

**My Room – Heaven's Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

I woke up with my usual yawn, even more pronounced today due to the spar I had with my dad in my head. As I got out of bed I remembered that I unlocked my ability to use my dad's armor ability when he was beating me to a pulp. I wonder if I could still use it out here in the real world.

"It couldn't hurt to try could it?" I thought aloud. I then willed my armor to appear. I felt the surface of my skin ripple a little as black liquid began to quickly coat my entire body starting from my torso. It spread to my arms and legs before moving up to my neck. Finally it formed a compact dome around my head, tinting my vision slightly.

That's good, it sill works. I'll probably need to work on getting it to deploy more swiftly but otherwise its perfect. As I double checked my armor once more to make sure there weren't any potentially vulnerable areas Jii-chan walked in. He looked somewhat spooked by my appearance for a moment.

"Sorry, I'll get rid of this in a second." I said as my voice echoed within my helmet. I don't think he recognized me with my armor on, so I dismissed it as quickly as possible.

"Good morning, Jii-chan. I was just testing out an ability I worked out last night."

"I see, I was just about to come in and wake you up. Your friend regained consciousness about an hour ago, so if you want to talk to her you can."

"Thanks Jii-chan, I will!"

I scampered off to the room where Ina was resting. As I poked my head in I saw her resting her head on the pillow, but her eyes were clearly open.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as I walked to her bed.

"It's somewhat painful to move, but otherwise fine. Says Misaka as she tries to downplay her injuries." She winced as she sat up straight to talk to me.

"You don't need to act tough around me, my dad already does that."

"What happened? Asks Misaka as she wonders what took place when she was unconscious."

"Well, an hour after you left I came home from Judgment duty. When Jii-chan told me you left I bolted after you, I gave chase. After I managed to beat Accelerator I brought you here to get you treated by Jii-chan."

I suddenly felt sheepish again as I divulged a more sensitive fact, "But I had to give you CPR, so we uh, kissed."

She cocked her head to the left as she processed the information. "I see. I thank you for saving my life. But why did you save me? Asks Misaka."

"I couldn't just let you die. You might not think of yourself as a person but I do."

"But I'm a bother aren't I?" she said somberly and without her usual verbal tic. How could she just call herself a bother, as if she was some kind of burden?

"You aren't a bother!" I exclaimed, clearly startling her. I lowered my voice as I realized this.

"I mean, have I ever called you a bother? We're a lot alike, being chased and hunted for most of your life and being made in test tubes. To be honest, I kind of see you as a little sister of sorts."

"You can stay here for as long as you want. Heck, I wouldn't mind if you began calling this home. I don't get to talk to many people my age around here, so it'd be great to have you here. So please, don't ever call yourself a bother ever again."

Her eyes widened at my words. To my surprise and worry she began tearing up, her normally stoic face showing signs of distress.

"Uh oh, did I say something wrong?" I asked hoping to find out why she was about to cry.

"I don't understand why my eyes are releasing an excess amount of tears, but I must thank you for your heartfelt words. Says Misaka sincerely from the bottom of her heart." She then cracked a warm smile looking identical to the one used by her older sister. So they were tears of joy and not sadness, that's a relief.

"Don't worry about it. If our positions were switched I'm sure you would've done the same thing."

Jii-chan then walked in on our little heart to heart. "Building quite a harem aren't you Sieg?" That was a moment killer.

"W-where the heck did that come from Jii-chan!" I said as I felt my face heat up like a kettle. Don't tell me that he thinks I'm a pervert too!

"It's just that I only see you hanging out with the girls from your school and Tokiwadai. In addition you were all alone here with your friend, and by the looks of things it appears you were confessing your feelings or something along those lines."

"That isn't it! I was just telling Ina that she could stay and that she wasn't a bother to anyone! Where did you get the idea that I was building a harem?"

"I'm only teasing, your face is all red Sieg. If it weren't for your powers you would be quite an easy target for bullies if that's all it takes to get you flustered."

"Still you don't just throw that out of left field!" I didn't know Jii-chan had this side to him.

"Sieg where are you!" I heard from outside.

"It looks like your friends are getting rather impatient. I'd go greet them if I were you."

I sighed, "Alright, I'm going." I opened the window and jumped out onto the sidewalk. It's faster than going down the stairs at least. The shock of the landing failed to jolt me from my sleepiness. All the energy I had this morning was pretty much exhausted from my conversations with Ina and Jii-chan.

I walked over to the entrance to see Saten, Uiharu, and Kuroko all waiting for me.

"Good morning, everyone." I said with another yawn. Come to think of it I haven't had breakfast yet. Blood packets are my morning coffee, without them I'm pretty sluggish unless I have a reason to get going.

"Where did you come from Sieg-san? Aren't you supposed to greet us from the entrance?"

"Well I thought it would be faster if I just jumped out the window of the room I was in and walked over, so I did just that."

"Wait, jumped out the window? Where is this room?"

"On the fifth floor."

They stared at me blankly for a few seconds. "What's wrong? You've seen me fall from higher than that before. Don't you remember the day I got that Hitotsui Hajime album for you Saten?"

"Still, normal people don't jump off five-story buildings casually!"

"I guess not. Sorry guys, I just got up and I haven't had breakfast yet so I'm still pretty sleepy."

"That's alright. Do you want to come with us for tea Sieg?" I don't see why not. I could use the caffeine.

"Sure, just let me just go back inside, get changed, and eat breakfast. It'll only take a few minutes."

"Oh, okay then." I went back inside still trying to hold down the yawns I had building up in my throat. Walking over to the fridge I pulled out four blood packets, two for breakfast and two for lunch. After draining the first two I blended the other two with a some raspberries that were in the pantry.

Feeling re-energized, I then changed out of the outfit I had yesterday into a black t-shirt with a yellow collar. I then added an open red vest with a polo-like collar along with black shorts with yellow stripes down the sides.

I ran back up to my room to grab my watch and the Booster before I poked back into Ina's room.

"I'm going out for a while Ina, is there anything you want? I'll get it for you as long as long as it isn't too pricey."

She shook her head, "What you've given me is more than enough. Says Misaka content with her situation."

"Okay then. Wait, I almost forgot." I ran back to my room to get her toothbrush before running back, "Jii-chan had to take this from you before surgery. Here you go."

She faintly smiled as I handed it back to her. "See you later Jii-chan! Get well soon Ina!" I said as I teleported back to the entrance.

"Alright, I'm ready."

"Um, Sieg-san your hair."

I then remembered that I didn't bother to comb my hair and thus it looked like a bird's nest. I began raking my fingers through it to try and make it into something sensible looking. I checked my reflection in the window to make sure I didn't make it look even stupider than before. Seeing that I managed to comb it into my usual style I left it at that.

"That took too long, I can't believe a boy like you would keep us ladies waiting." scolded Kuroko with disdain evident in her voice. I think she's just spiteful at the fact that I can teleport like her.

"Sorry sorry, but your visit was rather sudden you know. I'm not used to having visitors who aren't Jii-chan's patients."

"That doesn't matter now. We're going to be late if we don't hurry because of you." Ever the go-getter I see.

"Hey Sieg, how did you teleport? I remember you said in class that an esper can only have one power."

"Well it's not that I have more than one power. It turns out that the other part of my esper ability lets me copy other esper abilities as long as I know how the ability works and I hang out with the people who use them. Since I've been around Kuroko a lot these past few days I've managed to copy her teleportation ability." A bit of a stretch in that my Blacklight and esper powers are completely different and separate but otherwise true.

"That's an amazing power Sieg-san!" said Uiharu starry-eyed once more.

"Yeah, I've also managed to copy Misaka-san's power-" I then realized that it was a very bad idea to say that around Kuroko.

She jumped on me and then started biting my head and hitting me with her fists, "How dare you copy Onee-sama's power! You better stop copying Onee-sama, or I'll start sticking my iron darts into you!"

"Ow, relax Kuroko! I have limits to my power at the moment!" Regardless she continued her assault with the same fury as before. I sighed before using her own teleportation power to drop her on the floor next to me.

"Listen for one second! My ability only let's me copy abilities up to Level 4, so I only have a Level 4 version of Misaka-san's powers. In addition, I can only really control them when I have this glove on called the Booster. Finally I can only use one power at a time."

Kuroko once again returned to her haughty persona, "Then you haven't surpassed Onee-sama, fitting for a tardy boy like you."

"You do remember that I have your powers too right?" She began growling again.

"I think I still have bite marks." I said as I rubbed my head to ease the pain. The girl has some sharp teeth.

"You never told us you had this ability though Sieg, when did you find out?"

"Actually, just yesterday. I while I was on patrol I beat up some thugs who were attacking a woman wearing rabbit ears."

"Rabbit ears?"

"Yeah, her name was Usamimi. Apparently she was stalking me for a while now and thus knew what my power was. After she showed me how to use it she then tried to take control of my mind. I when I managed to shrug it off I made her agree to help me learn about my powers without being her slave."

"Do you honestly want us to believe a story like that?" said the Level 4 teleporter.

"It's the truth! Do you really think I would make up something like this?"

"I suppose not, but I'll never understand men like you." she said while shrugging her shoulders.

"What the heck did I do to make you angry?"

"Alright, break it up you two! Geez, it's almost always a fight when you two are near each other." said Saten as she tried to resolve our conflict.

"He/She started it!" Kuroko and I angrily exclaimed at the same time while pointing at each other.

"The two of you are like a bickering couple. It's adorable." said Uiharu at our feud.

Both of us went silent at that comment. We then started making our way towards the cafe, with Kuroko and I glaring at each other all along the way.

* * *

**Crosswalk – Streets of Academy City**

* * *

We were walking across a crosswalk when Kuroko suddenly pulled out her cell phone. Another flip cell, I thought those went out of style a while ago.

"Who are you calling Shirai-san?" asked Uiharu.

"I was so flustered from my argument with the copycat here I completely forgot to invite my dear Onee-sama."

"How is it my fault?"

She ignored me and simply started talking when Misaka picked up, "Onee-sama, where are you right now? I was about to go have tea with Uiharu, Saten... and that boy. Would you care to come along?"

"That boy?" I heard Misaka say.

I let out a little electrical spark to patch into the conversation, "She means me, Misaka-san. She's just angry at me for a bunch of little reasons." Electromaster powers are surprisingly versatile.

"Don't intrude on other people's conversations! Didn't your grandfather teach you manners?"

"He did, I just have trouble respecting those who don't return the favor."

We both continued to growl at each others' comments about the other.

"Well, the thing is, I'm with this weird lady." I heard Misaka say.

"Weird, you say?" replied Kuroko.

"Yeah she suddenly got undressed."

"Suddenly got undressed?"

Saten and Uiharu jumped up in excitement, "Then it must be the Stripping Woman! Are you alright Misaka-san?"

Uiharu, Saten, and Kuroko began wrestling for the phone. "L-let go of me!" cried Kuroko as she tried to shake the two off.

"Please, stop doing that, you two!" I couldn't help but begin laughing at Kuroko's predicament. I know it's rude, but you've got to admit that it's funny watching her squirm a bit.

"Text me! Text me her picture later! Her picture!" yelled Saten.

"Now listen, don't get carried away and link her to some urban legend." I heard Misaka say in a somewhat annoyed voice as the three of them continue to clamor and struggle over the phone.

"She may be a bit odd, but she's just a regular-"

"-When you say _odd _are you talking about me?" said a calm, feminine voice just before Misaka hung up after a rather cute "Kya!".

Saten and Uiharu were still trying to listen in as Kuroko tried to redial, only to hear the standard voice mail recording. "-The number you dialed is currently unavailable."

"Voice mail?" questioned Kuroko.

"It seems kind of dodgy, doesn't it?" insinuated Saten. If Uiharu gets starry-eyed over celebrities then Saten's poison is the endless list of urban legends in Academy City.

"We should go looking for her, shouldn't we?" added Uiharu.

"You two are fools to take urban legends seriously." replied Kuroko in a surprisingly cool tone.

"Why can't they be real?" I asked at Kuroko's skepticism.

"We live in a city of science, surely you can't seriously believe in all of these."

"You never know. I'm one for the scientific method too, but all myths have to start from some kind of truth right? Like _The Iliad_ for instance, it's a mythological epic focused on a real war that happened in history." Plus I have the added knowledge that I know two urban legends from New York. Hell, I'm technically one myself, but mentioning it would probably just get me in some kind of trouble I don't want to deal with.

"You have a point, but it's still pretty farfetched. A woman who strips in public for no reason. Is there anyone like that out there?"

"The world is a big place. Misaka-san did say that she met a woman who stripped suddenly. Maybe she was the one who became the basis for the rumor, and hearsay twisted it into an urban legend."

I beat her in this argument. She muttered something under her breath before saying, "Well we couldn't invite Onee-sama, I guess it will be just the four of us. Let's go."

* * *

**Cafe – Streets of Academy City**

* * *

We ended up going to a maid cafe on a quiet corner to get out of the blazing summer sun. Kuroko and Uiharu were enjoying some hot tea of a teapot while Saten and I ordered some iced tea. We basically spent the time relaxing in silence. While Saten and I took sips of tea while Uiharu typed away at her laptop.

At the same time, Kuroko was still trying to reach Misaka, constantly making calls on her slim cell phone.

"I still can't get through to Onee-sama." complained Kuroko.

"She's being attacked by the Stripping Woman!" exclaimed Saten as she leaned on the table, almost knocking over my tea.

"Be careful!" I scolded as I brought my cup upright.

"Sorry."

"I will have none of that nonsense." replied Kuroko, still disbelieving in urban legends.

"Saten-san, I found a site with a lot of info on the Stripping Woman!" said Uiharu.

"Let me see." replied our long haired friend as she took the laptop from Uiharu's hands. She then let out a cry before slumping slightly with a saddened look on her face, as if something terrible happened.

"Shirai-san, it's says that those who run into the Stripping Woman, give out a final cry and become unreachable."

"Not more of that. After all, Onee-sama is the unstoppable, invincible, Electric Princess and the pride of Tokiwadai Middle School. There is no way she'll be done in by the Stripping Woman who does nothing but undress." As skeptical as always, but I have to agree with her this time.

Saten's eyes narrowed, "No... something even more terrifying may be going on." Uiharu was watching as giddily as well, a schoolgirl.

"What do you mean?" said Kuroko with complete seriousness. It looks like she is finally getting dragged in.

"The Stripping Woman is contagious!"

"Contagious?"

"Those who meet the Stripping Woman are cursed, and become Stripping Women themselves!"

Uiharu gasped in shock with her hands on her cheeks. "Then, Misaka-san will go around, taking her clothes off?!"

Kuroko's face said that she was all but convinced and terrified at the prospect, "Oh no... not Onee-sama...!"

"Come on guys, contagious stripping habits? I like to keep an open mind but seriously, who has ever heard of something like that." I said trying to lower the tensions and keep things peaceful.

But my efforts fell on deaf ears as Kuroko starting slamming her head into the table screaming, "No! Onee-sama! Don't do that!" all the while. I think this could become an urban legend all its own.

"Sh-Shirai-san?" asked Uiharu as she began to worry about her friend.

Kuroko grabbed Uiharu's shoulders with a crazed look in her eyes, bloodshot and absolutely desperate looking. "Uiharu, find a way to lift this curse _right now!_" Kuroko then began shaking Uiharu back and forth in a mad trance, continuing to screech.

"P-please don't get too worked up." feebly cried Uiharu.

"Yeah right, it's just an urban legend." Wow, what a complete reversal.

"Kuroko, calm down already! You're going to get us kicked out!" I said sternly, her screeching getting on my nerves. How does Misaka stand being around her all the time?

Unfortunately for us, the damage was already done. A waitress walked over to us, "Excuse me, but you're disturbing the other customers, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Kuroko finally quieted down long enough to listen.

I sighed, "Kuroko got us kicked out so I'm putting the tab on her." I then got up and prepared to leave after finishing the rest of my tea. "Thanks for the tea."

"Hey, don't just walk out of here!" cried Kuroko.

"Why not? You should easily be able to afford this."

"You don't just walk out when you're suppose to pay for something!"

"Whatever you say Kuroko, I don't feel like arguing with you." I withdrew two hundred and fifty yen and left it on the table.

"I need some air." I muttered as I left the cafe. Outside it was still as hot as ever, and if I wasn't already used to temperatures like these I'd probably be sweating buckets. At the very least there was a refreshingly cool breeze blowing through which made things bearable.

"Sieg-san, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just need some time to clear my head. Kuroko is driving me nuts."

"I could say the same for you." said the pig-tailed (and headed) teleporter.

"Hey, I didn't even do anything that time. You overreacted over a stupid urban legend that you yourself said was hard to believe."

"That doesn't give you an excuse to just walk out on us!"

"You've been incredibly obnoxious and hotheaded all day. What's wrong with you?"

"What about you? You've been lazy, distant, and a show-off the whole time!"

"A show-off? All I did was use and explain my power, I didn't flaunt it!"

"Really? Remember yesterday? You showed it off just to humiliate me!"

"You did it first! I wanted to keep the fact that I disguised as a girl a secret and you betrayed my trust!"

We then continued our seemingly perpetual glaring contest that had been going on all day. I was itching for a fight and it was taking a lot of self-control to not try and take it out on her. But my patience was wearing thin fast.

"Um, so what are we going to do now?" asked Uiharu, clearly trying to change the subject.

"I'm not sure, I didn't make any plans today so anywhere I suppose." I felt like trying to take it easy and going with the flow of things. Hopefully it will let the situation between Kuroko and I cool off.

"How about we go shopping!" said Kuroko deviously while glancing in my direction. I know what you're doing Kuroko, don't take me for an idiot!

"Oh no, nuh uh, no way. I'm not going to be your pack mule! Couldn't we go to the bookstore and read manga or something?"

"Come on, Sieg. We won't buy that much stuff." My dad always told me that when girls say they aren't going to buy a lot of stuff, that's _exactly_ when they're going to buy a lot of stuff. He apparently learned that the hard way from Aunt Dana.

"I really wanted to see some of the new stores in the mall, pleaseeeee!" said Uiharu with puppy dog eyes.

I finally relented, "Fine, but please don't buy too much." The three of them cheered in response. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too nice.

I could practically hear my dad growling in the back of my mind, "You're actually submitting to these humans? Pathetic."

If I could talk to him right now I'd probably reply, "You try resisting puppy dog eyes like hers!" or something along those lines. Though he probably would considering his personality.

"Let's go already! Time's a wasting!" said Saten as she dragged me towards the shopping mall.

* * *

**Shopping Mall – Academy City District 7**

* * *

It took no more than ten minutes for me to regret my words. The girls were running from store to store looking for things they liked. Meanwhile I was stuck carrying all of the stuff they bought as I expected. They were more annoying than they were heavy, since I felt like a shopping cart being able to do nothing but hold these random things the whole time.

At this point I was holding four bags of clothes, three bags of toys, five shoeboxes, and several paperback copies of Kuroko's... interesting light novels she uses to entertain her imagination. I'm sure that she is having a ball since things seem to be going completely her way.

However, as we passed the toy section again I noticed a sale on stuffed animals. Among them was an actually cute looking Gekota plushie going for about five hundred yen. I wonder if Ina would enjoy this.

"Hey Kuroko."

"What is it? Don't tell me you're complaining already." she said smugly. I could, but I don't want to be a public disturbance like you.

"No it's not that. You're Misaka-san's roommate right?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" She then her expression changed into one of realization before asking, "Are you trying to make a move on Onee-sama?!" she exclaimed with the same crazed look in her eyes from before.

"Could we put it aside for one second?" She then stopped glaring for a moment.

"If Misaka-san had a little sister, do you think she would enjoy this?" I held up the plushie to her.

"Are you telling me that Onee-sama has a little sister and I don't know about it?" I think she's indulging in her fantasies a bit too much. Then again, that isn't too far from the truth.

"Again, no. But it's just a thought, I'm planning on buying this for a girl at the hospital. She's a lot like Misaka-san, so I wanted to know if maybe she'd enjoy like this."

Another half-lie, but this time for the better since I don't know what Kuroko would do if she found out about the existence of the Misaka clones. Come to think of it, maybe I should track down the rest of the clones. Then maybe Ina will get to live with a family of sorts.

"Well, considering Onee-sama's childish obsessions I would have to say yes. I still need to get her to focus on the future and help her get into more ojou-sama like activities."

"Alright then, I'm buying it. Thanks for your input Kuroko." I walked over to the cash register and paid for the plushie. After placing it in a bag I walked back to see Saten and Uiharu holding another two bags each. I let out a sigh as I took the bags off their hands. What is it with girls and shopping?

"I think that's about it for today." said Saten.

You mean it's over? If there is a God out there, thank you! Thank you so much!

I was looking forward to a relaxing end of the day without any trouble to deal with. Of course, God then threw a curveball at me as it seemed to be simply impossible for me to go through the day without getting into some kind of trouble.

I then heard a loud bang coming from the jewelry store.

"Nobody move!" yelled a man whose voice sounded vaguely familiar.

"Yeah, dis is a holdup!" added another familiar voice.

This is the second one this week... Well I'm part of law enforcement now. I can't ignore this.

Kuroko was the first to speak, "Uiharu, contact Anti-Skill."

"Saten, I'll need you to help evacuate anyone near the scene, Kuroko and I will take out the robbers." I said while tying on my Judgment armband and leaving our things in a corner.

My two classmates nodded and went to work, Uiharu taking cover behind a building support and Saten starting to quietly lead away anyone coming towards the jewelry store.

Turning on thermal vision, I counted the number of robbers. One in the back room, two in front, and one as a lookout. That makes four robbers, and four targets to eliminate.

Slipping on the Booster, I whispered to Kuroko, "There are four robbers, one of them is in the back room. Could you take him out while I distract the ones in front? Once he's out we'll take out the remaining two together. You're going to have to do it quietly though."

"How do you know this?"

"Call it a hunch, I think I've dealt with this group before."

"We're basing our strategy on a hunch?"

"Just trust me, arguing isn't going to get us anywhere right now."

"I can't believe I'm going along with this... fine we'll do it your way. How do you plan on distracting them?"

"Like this."

I got up from behind the corner we were hiding behind and strolled over to the front of the jewelry store. The lookout looked startled and attempted to draw a bead on me with his assault rifle, only for me to knock him out with a single backhand to the side of the head. I then kicked open the locked door, grabbing everyone's attention. My offensive powers are anything but subtle, so this was much easier than trying to sneak in.

The other two heard this and turned to me, the skinny one taking a store clerk hostage.

"It's you! That shitty brat who stopped us last time!" So it is them.

"Mr. Yamada, I thought you learned your lesson already. How did you break out of prison?"

"Shut up!" Is that supposed to be his catchphrase? "I'm not a goddamn esper like you!" That didn't answer my question but alright.

"What's wrong with being an esper? Just because you're an esper doesn't mean you're guaranteed fame and fortune. I'm certainly not in the spotlight."

"You're just making excuses! It's all the same, espers are the root of all problems in this goddamned city!"

"If you hate living here so much, why not leave? Nothing's stopping you." I then chuckled in a mocking manner, "Aside from your criminal record that is."

"You little shit! How the hell should you know how tough my life is!" He said with gritted teeth. I think I mentioned this earlier, but statements like that piss me off beyond your imagination.

"I don't need to know what kind of life you've had. Want a reason why? Your life is _nothing_ compared to what I've been through."

He started to try and argue but I cut him off, "Try being hunted your entire life by a legion of psychopaths who want to do nothing but test and experiment with your body in order to turn you into a weapon. To be afraid of someone lurking around the corner ready to kidnap you and take to who knows where just because they were ordered to. To be afraid of who and what you are. That was my life before I came here. _So shut your fucking trap because you don't know the meaning of hardship!_"

My words seemed to have gotten to him, and everyone else in the room for that matter, as they all looked paralyzed at my words. I think he would've retorted with a line like, "You're lying!" if it weren't for the deadly serious glare I gave him, especially since I turned the irises of my eyes red for emphasis.

A quiet thud was then heard from the back room, probably Kuroko finally subduing the crook in the back. He turned his head in the direction of the noise, meaning that his attention was split. Exactly what I needed. I teleported into the air next to Yamada and threw a swift kick to the side of his head, knocking him across the room and rendering him unconscious. I would've kicked him in the face, but since he seemed human enough to actually react to my life story I let him keep his teeth and nose intact.

The pudgy robber with language issues then turned to me with his pistol and started firing. I quickly covered my arms with smaller versions of my shields and deflected the rounds as they came at me one by one. It was actually a bit risky in hindsight, but better than just taking the bullets or risking any collateral damage to the people behind me. Desperate, he looked ready to throw it at me.

"Oh yeah, like that's going to work."

I then ripped the gun from his hands and dropped it on the floor before a quick jab to the gut knocked the wind out of him. I then let the poor sap crumple and hit the floor as he clutched his stomach. Kuroko appeared out of thin air next to me and surveyed the situation.

"I must admit, that was pretty well done. Reckless, but well executed."

"Thanks, you did a good job yourself."

"Still, I must admit I was shocked by how you approached the situation. Your plan as a whole was just walking in and drawing all of the attention to yourself while I did away with the robber in the back."

"Yeah, sorry about that, and earlier. I guess I was being a show off and somewhat standoffish wasn't I."

"That's alright, I'm at fault as well for my outlandish actions. Still, I have to ask you about that story you said about yourself, is it true?"

Well, crap. I just shot myself in the foot again (figuratively), but I'd rather do it literally than deal with this right now.

Normally I would have brushed it off and said, "Ha ha, of course it wasn't. I just needed to distract the robbers." But for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to lie. Maybe it was because I was starting to really consider the girls as friends rather than just acquaintances.

In the past I basically just sat in the corner and did my work dutifully, I didn't really talk to anyone unless I had to out of fear of what my true nature would lead them to do. Jii-chan encouraged me to make a change this year and start fresh, and now it's led to these conflicting feelings about what I feel is right emotionally instead of just weighing the pros and cons.

After a brief pause I finally admitted, "Yes. It was. I was chased by a military organization when I was younger since they saw the potential in my abilities. It wasn't until some fortunate events led me to being adopted by Jii-chan and meeting my blood relatives did they finally stop. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they're still watching me to this day." Another half-lie, since I kept things vague and all and implied that they were hunting me for my esper powers, but most of it was true.

"I had no idea. Even if you were a show-off you always seemed so nice and cheerful."

"It's not a problem, but I don't really want to go spreading this around. I don't want my past to change anyone's opinion of me. Can I trust you to keep this on the down low this time?"

She then smiled, "Yes, you can trust me to keep my lips sealed."

"Thanks Kuroko. I mean it."

"Well, I guess we should get things ready for Anti-Skill to clean up."

"Let's do it then."

We then took the time to round up the robbers and handcuffed them. It wasn't that hard with our teleportation abilities. After we made sure that none of the bystanders were injured we began writing down the info we needed for our damage report. Oh the paperwork we'll have to do later. Well, as they say, there ain't no rest for the wicked.

"Saten-san, Sieg-san, are you alright?" asked Uiharu as she came around the corner.

"We're fine. Did you really think the two of us would get injured by some common thugs?" said Kuroko to assure her worrywart of a friend.

"Well, it's just that they all had guns and Sieg-san just walked straight into them, I was worried they might turn around and shoot you two."

"We had it under control, you don't need to worry so much Uiharu." Besides with the caliber they were using they wouldn't leave any last markings on me.

"O-okay, so what are we going to do now?"

"Well after Anti-Skill arrives I guess we can call it day, since it's technically our day off."

"Yeah, Sieg-san can help us carry the things we bought home." Thanks for the reminder Uiharu.

I slumped over as I thought about how long it will take to deliver all of the things they bought. I'm going to be coming home late tonight. My friends then broke out in laughter after realizing what I was thinking about. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Tokiwadai Exterior Dormitories – Tokiwadai Middle School**

* * *

Dropping off Uiharu and Saten at their houses along with the things they bought was a bit time consuming but otherwise relatively peaceful and easy. Getting Kuroko's things into her dorm. Not so much.

We were sneaking into the Tokiwadai dorms as best we can in order avoid being spotted. I'd definitely stick out as a boy at an all-girl school, but even disguising as a girl wouldn't help since they'd just ask for my ID.

"Do I really have to carry everything in Kuroko? We're going to get in trouble."

"Relax. If all goes well we'll be done before anything bad can happen. Besides, do you really expect a lady to carry all of that in?"

"Well, if it would keep us from getting a mark on our records I would."

She sighed, "And here I thought you were the adventurous type."

"Not really, I just get caught in the middle of trouble a lot of the time."

We teleported upstairs to the second floor with everything to avoid the elevator cameras, luckily no one was around to see us. Kuroko led me down the hallway to room 208.

"This is your room right? So can I leave everything here and go?"

"Just carry it in, it'll only take a few minutes."

I had a bad feeling about this, but I reluctantly complied and opened the door... and saw Misaka in the middle of changing wearing nothing but her panties.

"Kya!" she cried at her loss of privacy.

I dropped everything in shock and turned away, "Sorry Misaka-san. I didn't mean to, I swear!"

"Why did you even come here! Boys aren't allowed in the dorms!"

"Kuroko had me carry in all this stuff after she, Saten, and Uiharu went shopping. I didn't mean to walk in on you changing!"

"How dare you violate Onee-sama's chastity!" Kuroko began glaring at me once more.

"You're the one who brought me up here in the first place!"

"What is going on here!" I heard a commanding female voice boom as she came down the hallway. At first I thought it was General Armstrong (which means I'd probably be good as dead), but instead I saw a tall and slender woman with shoulder length brown hair and glasses wearing a very professional looking black skirt and blouse on top of a white dress shirt. If her hardened and no nonsense expression wasn't enough to frighten you, the fact that the ranked 3rd Level 5 was shuddering in fear would.

"You brought a boy here Shirai? Explain yourself!"

"Well I..."

"I apologize dorm supervisor. Kuroko went shopping and I offered to help her carry her things upstairs as a favor. Please do not penalize her for my actions. I will leave as soon as possible. I once again apologize for my actions." I said politely with a bow.

"How polite of you..." the supervisor began, "but I still can't let this pass!" She then promptly walked over to me and _dislocated my neck_. I assume it was in an attempt to knock me out, as she turned to Kuroko and Misaka immediately after.

After resetting my neck and shaking off the dull ache that remained I quietly walked up behind the dorm supervisor.

"You're going to have to answer for this Shirai! There is going to be a major demerit on your-"

I then struck both of her temples at the exact same time with my fingers, knocking her out as she fell backwards into my arms.

"What... just happened?" asked Misaka at the sight. She was wearing a towel to cover herself now so I could bear to look at her without feeling like a voyeur.

"You two are lucky that I read manga often. That was a technique called the Shockwave of Forgetfulness. With any luck she'll forget this ever happened. Where's her office? I want to make her think she just woke up from a nap."

"Um, down the hall, then take a left. It's the third door on the right."

"That helps a lot." I carried the dorm supervisor over to the door indicated, opening it, and laying her on the office chair gently before quietly closing the door.

"Phew, that was close." I remarked as I walked back to Kuroko and Misaka's room.

"Um, sorry for walking in on you." I apologized again to Misaka now that things were quiet.

"That's alright. I think we're even since you saved us from the dorm supervisor. Though we wouldn't have gotten in trouble in the first place if Kuroko carried everything up herself!" Misaka glared at Kuroko, who laughed nervously.

She continued after a sigh of frustration, I was just about to leave again anyway. I have a fight to get to."

"A fight?"

"There's this guy I need to get even with." This time I have no business to interfere, so I'm just going to let this one run its course.

"Alright then, I think I'll take my leave. Good night you two!" I then teleported off the grounds of Tokiwadai before teleporting out of the Garden of Learning.

* * *

**Judgment 177th Branch Office**

* * *

After I finished that fiasco I left for the Judgment office. I walked in while sipping the smoothie I made for lunch to stave off potential cravings. Konori-senpai was still working away at the massive piles of paperwork she had on her desk. If they were stacked on top of each other they'd reach from the floor to the ceiling easily with more to spare. I guess being the chief of a Judgment branch is a lot harder than it sounds.

"Eh, Sieg-san, why are you here? Isn't today your day off?"

"Yeah, but we foiled a robbery at the mall so I have to start filling out the paperwork now."

"I see, but don't stay too late. It'll be past curfew soon."

At the very least I have experience filling out paperwork due to helping out Jii-chan with medical files, but there was still a lot to go through. Damage reports, witness testimonies, evidence filing, it went on and on. I think I finished about an hour later.

"That took a while." I remarked as I got up from my seat and stretched. As I looked over at Konori-senpai she wasn't even halfway finished, as if someone added even more paperwork to her pile.

"Konori-senpai, would you like a hand with that?"

"Eh? Oh no, I couldn't possibly ask you to do help me. This is my responsibility after all."

"Don't worry about it, my grandfather will understand. I get into crazy situations all the time so he understands that I'm out late often."

"If you say so, thank you very much! Let's see, sighted crime reports, evidence analysis requests, equipment repair requests..."

Another half hour later we could finally cheer, "Yes, all the paperwork is done!" After a high-five we could get ready to go home and relax.

"Thanks a lot Sieg-kun, you're a life saver."

"I'm just doing what I can." I said humbly as I left the office.

* * *

**Streets of Academy City – Night Hours**

* * *

As I began my walk back home I decided to take out the Gekota plushie again. I observed it from all sides, even squeezing it a couple of times. Would Ina really like this? It's pretty cute, but she seemed to not like childish things like the name I gave her. Just because she has the same DNA as Misaka doesn't mean she has the same interests. I already bought it, so I might as well show to her I guess. I put it away and continued my walk home.

I then heard a cacophony of familiar zapping sounds along with a flash of light on my left. The skies were clear, so it wouldn't make sense that there was lightning today. I ended up walking towards the direction the sound was coming from to investigate.

There I found Misaka standing there, facing a teenage boy older than her with spiky black hair and wearing a rather generic looking outfit of a white dress shirt and jeans. Come to think of it, isn't that Touma, the guy I helped from the other day? I wonder what he did for Misaka to hold a grudge against him.

"Shocks don't work against you, all right. Well then...!" Misaka aimed her electricity at the ground, drawing up black coils of what appeared to be sand into her hand.

"Huh? What's that?" asked Touma as he watched the display.

The sand slowly coalesced into a shape somewhere between a short sword and a big trench knife.

"Whoa, isn't it against the rules to use weapons?!" he asked in a panic as the weapon was completed. This has to be one of Misaka's famous iron sand attacks.

"I made it using my ability." she calmly replied, swinging the makeshift blade to the side. As she did a falling leaf just touched the edge before being torn in half for no reason apparent to the naked eye.

"Eh?" was the only response Touma could come up with as he was startled by the display.

"When iron sand vibrates it acts like a chainsaw, so you might bleed a bit if this touches you!"

"I-I don't think I can allow that in any case!" he managed to say before ducking under the high-frequency sand blade.

He dodged every strike in an almost clumsy manner, barely avoiding the blade's edge.

"You can scamper away all you want, but I can still do this with it!" Misaka exclaimed as the sword suddenly changed into the shape of a whip, extending in length before winding and twisting its way towards Touma.

Touma looked just about caught, and Misaka looked ready to give a victory smile. However, Touma then put his right hand in the way of the blade almost as if to sacrifice it. To my surprise (and probably Misaka's) the blade was blown apart and sent back towards her rather than piercing Touma's hand the way it should have.

Touma then looked at his right hand in an almost thankful manner, "Phew! That was a close one!"

"L-looks like that's the match right?" He said nervously while glancing at Misaka.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure..." She let out another arc of electricity. As she did, a cloud of iron sand appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"You can even control the iron sand in the wind?" questioned a shocked Touma, in the unfortunate position of being right under the cloud of potentially deadly iron sand.

"But no matter how many times you try this, the result will always be the same!" he loudly declared as he grabbed the cloud with his right hand as before, dispersing the cloud into its component particles and making it disappear. Misaka then took the opportunity to sneak behind her opponent, grabbing his right hand.

"I've got you, you may be able to stop shocks in mid air but..." Her face turned into one of shock as Touma appeared unfazed.

He then looked up at Misaka. I couldn't tell what his expression was at the moment due to the fact that his back was turned to me.

"Um..." he began as Misaka could only look on as she realized she was trapped and a sitting duck waiting for the final blow. Touma raised his left fist, to which Misaka cowered rather cutely.

He then suddenly seemed to cry out in pain, grabbing his left hand, "Yahhhhhhhhh" he cried while falling to the floor in an overdramatic fashion.

Misaka looked ready to cry, anticipating a fist to enter her field of vision any second now. This is the most vulnerable I've ever seen her. I guess that even Level 5s have their moments where they're at the mercy of someone else. Then again, I put the strongest one at my mercy once, so this really shouldn't be a surprise to me.

As she opened her eyes, she saw Touma on the floor, seemingly defeated.

"I-I give up!" Touma said in a rather plain manner before feigning unconsciousness.

Misaka blushed as she struggled to make at the words, "D... D..."

Realizing that he angered Misaka, Touma scrambled to his feet and started running for his life.

"Don't screw with me!" she screamed while unleashing a massive bolt of electricity towards the poor high schooler.

"Take this seriously!"

"But you're seriously scared!"

"No I'm not!"

"Liar!" Wow, if Kuroko and I sounded like a married couple I wonder what you'd call these two.

"You got all teary-eyed like this, and then you flinched..." said Touma, raising his arms the way a child would when they were about to be punished in a mocking manner. He stopped as he noticed the incredible quantity of electricity Misaka was producing.

"Die!" she ordered in embarrassment as he once again began fleeing for his life. A bolt of electricity the size and length of two school buses put back to back struck the location Touma was in moments earlier.

"Don't run away!" Touma didn't seem keen on listening to instructions as he started to run away away even more quickly than before.

"Hey, you! If that had hit me directly I would've died!"

"It wouldn't have worked anyway!" Misaka yelled in outrage as she gave chase.

"Whether or not it would've worked, what do you think you're doing using that kind of power against someone!"

Misaka continued to blush, "I've never had to use this much power against someone before!" she replied angrily.

"Why me?!" cried the unfortunate teenager as he ran from the Railgun. Well, he's lucky he has that anti-lightning power otherwise he'd be toast already.

"Stand still and face me!"

It then occurred to me that I could ask Misaka if Ina would like the plushie, since she is her closest living relative aside from the other clones if there are any left. I began running after her, but keeping well a ways behind to ensure that I didn't get hit by a stray lightning bolt.

After Misaka ran out of steam and gave up the chase, I approached her.

"Misaka-san-"

She jumped and shot out an arc of lightning that very barely missed my head. If that hit it probably would've burnt my face and probably the rest of me.

"Don't scare me like that!" Note to self, learn how to approach people like Misaka without scaring them lest I have a death wish.

"Sorry, it's just that I wanted to ask you about something. You see, I told you earlier that Kuroko dragged me out to go shopping with everyone right? Well there's a girl at the hospital who is a lot like you and needed cheering up, so I bought her this." I pulled the plushie out of my bag. "Since you seem to be the expert on Gekota I was wondering if you think she'd like this." Another stretch of a statement, since the girl in question is genetically identical, but the meaning of the statement is still the same.

"W-what are you talking about, expert on Gekota, who do you take me for a child-" As she laid her eyes on the plushie she went starry-eyed and started gazing at the toy the way a beggar would a full course meal (minus the drool and urge to eat it).

"C-can I hold it?"

"Uh, sure."

She held it, observing the toy from every possible direction like a jeweler would a diamond. She then ran her hand over it and squeezed it, as if to make sure it was soft and squishy enough.

"It's perfect! Where did you get it!" she asked mystified and entranced by the doll. I think she likes it.

"Um, a shopping mall not too far from here. I don't quite remember the store but they had it on sale for five hundred yen."

"Yes!" she took a picture of it with her, you guessed it, Gekota cell phone. I guess she wants one exactly like it.

"You're welcome, I guess." If Misaka's reaction is anything to go by then I think Ina will enjoy this gift.

"May I have the doll back now?" Misaka froze and remembered that the doll wasn't hers. She slowly and gingerly handed it back to me, looking depressed all the while.

"The sale should still be going until closing time on Monday, so you can get your own if you want." She seemed to perk up at that.

"Thank you so much for telling me!" She then sort of pranced off back in the direction of Tokiwadai.

I shook my head with a smile at Misaka's antics. She is simultaneously childish and mature. It just takes a little frog mascot for her to show her childish side. If she were any more child like she'd be calling me onii-chan. With nothing left to do I started calculating my path before beginning to teleport home.

* * *

**Heaven Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

"I'm home!" I called as I walked in through the doors.

Jii-chan didn't bother asking why I was late this time. I guess he's gotten used to it since I've been coming home late practically every day.

Instead, he eyed the bag I was holding. "What do you have in there?"

"Oh, I thought I'd get a gift for Ina, especially since it was on sale for only five hundred yen." I showed him the plushie, "Misaka-san fawned over this. I thought that since Ina is Misaka-san's genetic twin I thought I'd get something like this for her."

"I understand your sentiments but remember Sieg, just because two people have the same DNA doesn't mean they have the same interests. That's why identical twins aren't always similar in personality. It's also why you aren't like your father." Actually my dad has been getting better recently, but I don't really want to tell anyone that I've been having conversations regularly with my dead father.

"I understand. I'm just going to check on her. Good night, Jii-chan." I didn't feel like teleporting so I ended up just walking up the stairs like a normal person.

When I reached the top I poked my head into Ina's room once more. She was gazing at the stars outside of her window. Her eyes held the same dull, almost lifeless expression as normal. With a face like that you wouldn't believe that she broke into tears of emotion earlier today.

"Hi Ina, the stars are bright today aren't they?"

"Agreed, they appear 13.5% brighter than normal due to favorable weather conditions. Says Misaka as she admires the night sky." Well that was awfully specific.

"Hey, I brought you something. I hope you like it." I showed her the plushie the same way I showed everyone else today, the only difference was that I handed it to her instead of just holding it.

"It's soft... and cute. Says Misaka as she analyzes the object and its purpose." I guess she was never given a stuffed animal before.

"It's from a line of products called Gekota. Your Onee-sama enjoyed it very much, so I thought that you might like it."

"My Onee-sama... my original enjoyed this? Asks Misaka as she wonders at the reasons for the object's purchase."

"Yeah, she basically drops her ojou-sama facade whenever she's around something like this. She loves these types of things so much that she waited on line for a crepe just to get one. I thought that this would be a nice thing to help keep you company during your stay here, since I'm busy most of the week with either school or the random things I get caught in."

"I see... will I ever be able to meet my Onee-sama? Asks Misaka as she attempts to get a definitive answer from you." Another big question I have to answer, lovely.

"I'm not sure. But hopefully I'll be able to introduce you when you get better. Let's focus on that first alright?" It's not a great response, but hopefully I can get her to focus on herself for once before worrying about the future.

"Acknowledged. I will devote my efforts to be restoring my bodily functions to the optimal level. Says Misaka as she agrees to your wishes." For some reason I was getting the feeling that she was acting as if I was giving orders.

"Listen Ina, I want you to start making your own decisions soon. I am not giving orders to you. You're no one's puppet anymore. You don't have to follow what I say to a T but... please, think for yourself. Do what you think is right, not just because someone tells you to."

She closed her eyes and had a look of deep thought on her face before she opened them again. "Yes, I believe I understand. It is late, please prepare for REM sleep in order to maintain your circadian rhythm. Says Misaka as she tries to get you to go to sleep." I guess that means that she's ready to go to sleep as well.

"Alright, good night Ina. Sweet dreams." She silently nodded in response before resting her head on the pillow and closing her eyes. Closing the door as quietly and softly as I could I walked back downstairs to get the blood packets I needed for dinner.

As I started drinking from them with a straw, Jii-chan turned to me and spoke.

"Sieg, there's something I need to talk to you about." The tone in his voice was grave.

"Eh? What is it?"

"It's about your friend, you told me she was a clone of Misaka Mikoto correct?"

"Yes, is there something wrong with that?"

"In your classes have you ever gone over the cloning process?"

"I remember this from biology class in fifth grade. Let's see... they take the cytoplasm from one animal and they take the nucleus from another animal of the same genus. They're forced together in a test tube and the finished product is later inserted into a natural or artificial incubator to allow it to develop."

"Precisely. The problem with this process is that clones often have shortened lifespans due to the nature of their birth which leaves them prone to many health problems."

I felt my brow furrow at this, "You're saying that Ina will have a very short lifespan?"

"Unfortunately, yes. However, when I analyzed a blood sample from her, there was evidence of accelerated growth through the use of hormones. This would lower the number of times that cells would be able to divide, shortening her lifespan further."

"So her already short lifespan will be cut even shorter. How long do you think she has to live?"

"I'd say no more than six months."

"S-Six months!" I heard myself stammer, "That's horrible!"

He motioned for me to settle down. "It is possible to extend her lifespan close to that of a normal human, but it will require extensive treatment to counterbalance the hormones used to rapidly age her."

"Do we have the supplies required for the treatment here?"

"It will take a few months to order them, but yes we should have the facilities required to treat her."

I another sigh of relief left my mouth at the news, I've been getting quite stressed lately.

"There is still something to worry about. Are the experiments still being conducted?"

That never occurred to me before, "I thought they would stop since I defeated Accelerator, but now that you bring it up, that's a real possibility."

"I was afraid that would be the case. I don't want you charging into anything dangerous, if you find out anything about the experiment report it to Anti-Skill. They'll shut down the experiment for sure."

"Got it. But what happens if Anti-Skill is unable to handle Accelerator?"

"You are to under no circumstances engage him."

I raised an eyebrow at this, "Why not? I've beaten him before haven't I?"

"That may be the case, but he is not someone to be trifled with. People like him hold grudges when blows are dealt to their pride, he'll think of a way to defeat you and he won't be blinded by his arrogance the next time you see him."

"Okay then. I can't make any promises but I'll do my best to stay out of trouble." It was really pointless to make promises to stay out of trouble now. I end up breaking them whether I like it or not.

"That's all I needed to hear. Now go to bed, it's late."

"Yes, Jii-chan." I didn't feel like arguing so I just went upstairs and got changed.

After going through my usual hygienic habits I plopped down on my bed. I've never described my room to you have I?

It's pretty plain, being a modified hospital room. The walls and ceilings are mostly white, with a stripe of sea foam green close to the floor. I have a desk made of oak which I carried up myself. It's covered in the folder bins and baskets which I use to keep organized. I have a laptop which I use mostly for schoolwork but I also use it to browse through manga and anime in my free time.

My bed is the standard hospital bed. I don't really find it uncomfortable since I've grown up and slept in this hospital for years. I also have a wall shelf near the window which I use to hold books and any knickknacks I happen to get now and then. Speaking of the window it's surprisingly big (which let's me slip out rather easily at night) and offers me a nice few of the city's skyline as well as the stars.

I didn't feel like sleeping until after I gazed out my window for a while. Like Ina said, the stars were particularly bright today, being able to shine and sparkle above the blinding lights of the city. I've gone to sleep doing this practically every night since I officially came to call this place home. It makes me wonder how long peaceful nights like this will last, and whether or not I'll be able to keep up this routine for the rest of my life. It wasn't long after that my eyelids began to feel heavy, before finally closing and drifting into sleep.

* * *

Another chapter done. A bit shorter than last time, but still over ten thousand words. Since this was an overall uneventful episode in the anime I decided to make it a bit more dramatic. I noticed a comment or two about how trolltastic Sieg's exit was, and I decided to reflect that in Kuroko's behavior this time. There really isn't much to say about this chapter, as it and the next few chapters will mainly be serving as a transition into the meat of the Level Upper arc.

Please review and critique constructively. I've gotten one or two comments that said Sieg's a pushover... he's too nice for the Blacklight virus e.t.c. I understand you guys have your opinions, but if it's not going to help me write please keep it to yourself. If you decide to say so anyway, do it in a helpful way. For example, instead of saying "Sieg sounds like a pushover." say, "Sieg is strong, but he seems to be too nice. Maybe you should introduce some tougher enemies or antagonistic people to force him to get serious." These are the kinds of reviews I want to see.

I've decided to start updating my other fiction Fairy's Kaiser again, a Maplestory/Fairy Tail crossover. If you're interested you can read that too. Anyway, thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8: The Voice

Disclaimer: I do not own the To Aru or Prototype series. All characters aside from my own original characters belong to their respected owners.

* * *

_I was sitting in a chair waiting patiently as the nice old doctor was analyzing my DNA, hoping to find out the source of my powers and perhaps find any living relatives. I had told him everything that happened the night before in vivid detail. As much as I wanted to I couldn't forget a nanosecond of it._

_I was secretly hoping that he wouldn't find anything too out of the ordinary. I was not so naive to think I was normal, since I clearly wasn't with the events that happened last night, I just wanted to be called human and a person._

_I turned as I heard footsteps coming down the hallway to see the doctor again. To be honest, I was still a little scared of him since I didn't know if he was just lying to me or not. Promises could be broken, and I just had a sinking feeling in my chest that his promise to me would._

"_Hello again, shounen. Are you well?" he said as he crouched down to eye level. He called me shounen, or young man since I hadn't told him my name._

_I nodded without a word. Despite his kindness to me over the last few hours and his nice demeanor I couldn't bring myself to trust him. Some part of me just couldn't trust doctors, but I couldn't figure out why._

"_Well, I've finished analyzing your DNA. I'm sorry to say, but according to the data I collected you are technically not human."_

_I froze, feeling tears well up in my eyes, "So they were right. I'm not human, I'm a monster." My worst fears had come true. I wasn't a human that deserved to be cared about, just a monster that deserved to be put down._

"_Now hold on. I never said that. All I said was that you technically aren't human."_

"_But if I'm not a human, what am I?" I asked while looking up in confusion._

"_Oddly enough, your DNA shows a structure akin to that of a virus."_

"_A virus? I'm a big germ?!" I cried, equal parts perplexed and shocked by the statement._

"_That seems to be the case to a certain extent. There many parts of your genetic code that are human-like, but other parts which resemble that of a virus outbreak from six years ago that happened in New York. Unfortunately, information about it is highly classified, and I was only able to find out about the genetic structure of the virus and nothing more."_

_I managed to calm down enough to stop crying, but I was still feeling down at the thought that I wasn't human and worse some kind of germ._

"_However, I was able to find an article about what happened during that outbreak written by an anonymous blogger under the alias Athena."_

_He handed me a print out of a blog post titled, The Mercer Virus._

_I read the article aloud, "The government is keeping this under wraps, but the world needs to know everything that is happening here in New York Zero. The Mercer Virus is a strain of another virus dubbed Blacklight, a biological weapon developed by Gentek for the government. It can be spread through bodily fluids, injections, physical contact, or just being near the damn stuff. It has only been kept in New York because of the fact that it can't cross large bodies of water._

_The virus infects and rapidly mutates any human or animal it doesn't kill into a monstrosity, often in the form of what we'd call a zombie, but sometimes into monsters even worse. _

_It was developed by Alex Mercer himself, back when he was still human. He was later hunted down by the bastards over at Blackwatch, who secretly helped make the shit, and shot to death. The being we now know as Alex Mercer is the virus personified, having taken his form. It grants "Alex" superhuman strength, speed, shapeshifting, and rendering him virtually bulletproof on top of incredible regenerative powers. However, the most devastating set of abilities in his arsenal is the fact that he could turn parts of his body into a weaponry capable of mass destruction, like the ones shown in the images below." I stopped there, as I could only stare at the image of the claws that Alex Mercer used._

_They were exactly like the claws I had last night._

"_Is something wrong?" the doctor asked worriedly as he noticed my expression._

_I was too shocked by the discovery of someone with powers like mine to express myself correctly, so I just turned the print out to him and pointed at the claws. _

_He paused before responding, "I see, so you're saying that your abilities are rather similar to this man's."_

_I nodded again silently, still unwilling to speak unless I had to._

"_I'm surprised you managed to read that entire article though. You have an incredibly advanced vocabulary for your age, where did you learn to read like this?"_

"_I don't know." I replied while shrugging my shoulders. It wasn't a lie. I didn't know how I knew all of those words, I just knew them._

"_Are you saying that you've never seen these words your entire life, but you somehow knew them anyway?"_

_I nodded again, hoping that I didn't say anything wrong._

"_That is strange... What is your name shounen?"_

_I hesitated, still unsure about whether or not to trust the frog-faced doctor in front of me. Finally I decided to tell him, hoping he could give me answers. "It's Sieg... I think my last name is Mercer." I didn't know why I added the Mercer part. The name felt incredibly familiar though, as if it always had been my own._

_He raised an eyebrow at my name, "Sieg... an unusual name for someone in Japan. Are you from abroad perhaps?"_

"_I was found and raised at an orphanage." I answered truthfully, "A Catholic missionary who visited on Sundays named me. It's the word for victory in German."_

"_Hmmm, and your last name. How did you know learn it if you were raised since you were an infant at an orphanage?"_

_I shrugged again, "I don't know. It just sounds familiar."_

"_Similar to how you could read the article perhaps?" His gaze looked full of distrust and unease at first, but softened again as he realized that I wasn't lying. _

"_You do realize that you just said that your last name is the same as the terrorist in the article right?"_

_I nodded once more, fully aware of the implications and the possible conclusions that could be drawn from my statement._

"_I apologize for my skepticism, it's just that your case is so peculiar. I've never had a patient who healed completely after filled with bullets in a single night, much less being up and out of bed the next day. Not to mention the fact that your vocabulary is that of someone at least twice your age."_

"_It's okay. I get that a lot." _

"_Do you want to go back to the orphanage?" _

"_No I don't. Anything but that!" I exclaimed while shaking my head vigorously._

"_Did they mistreat you?"_

"_No. It's just that... I never liked it there. People would just ignore me aside from giving me things like food and water. I never made any friends either. My abilities didn't help much with that. When those people who chased me last night came the director just pointed at me and told them to do what they want."_

"_I understand." He then paused in thought for a moment. "Do you like it here?"_

"_I guess... everyone has been nice to me so far, and I don't think I've been sold out yet. So I suppose my answer is yes."_

"_If that's the case, would you like me to adopt you for the time being?"_

"_Eh?" This was not something I expected._

"_Even though your DNA is peculiar, I should still be able to extract enough of the human-like genome to see if you have any relatives in Academy City's database. Until then you could stay here, especially due to your... special needs." He knows about my need for living matter too?_

"_How do you know about that?" I asked, my gaze having gone from confused to angered in a heartbeat._

"_When I was removing the bullets from your body, the blood that was supposed to be used towards replenishing any you might have lost drained abnormally quickly. Your breathing and complexion improved as the packet was emptied, not to mention the fact that your wounds closed with incredible speed. This lead me to the conclusion that your body requires living matter to maintain normal functions."_

_I suddenly felt embarrassed for snapping like that, "Oh. Um, I apologize for my outburst. I just thought you were one of those scientists who wanted to experiment on me since I never told anyone."_

"_That's alright, if what you said happened last night is to be believed then it was a perfectly logical conclusion. I'm going to reiterate again, would you like me to adopt you? I can't promise you a completely normal life, but I'll do my best to help you live as a person and not an experiment."_

_So my choices were:_

_A) Be adopted by the first honest and kind adult I've ever met who also happens to have the provisions I need for my survival. _

_B) Scrape out a life on the streets of Academy City._

_C) Risk going into foster case and potentially be taken in by an abusive guardian._

_Yeah, I think my answer was pretty obvious._

"_Yes, please." I said politely, hoping to seize the best chance I had at living a relatively normal life._

_He smiled and ruffled my hair, "Alright then, I'll fill out the paperwork tomorrow." he said before turning around and beginning to leave._

"_Wait!" I called out, causing him to turn back to face me._

"_What is it?"_

"_Can I... call you my Jii-chan?" I asked nervously. It was a random thought, I know. But if you were going to be adopted by someone you might as well treat them as you would a blood relative right?_

_He gave me another warm smile, "Yes, of course you can."_

* * *

**My Room – Heaven Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

"Another one of those dreams..." I muttered as I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock like every other weekday. It was Monday, the most dreadful of days for a student like me, simply because you have to go back to school after forty-eight hours of not worrying about it.

Regardless, I went through my routine as usual, washing up, packing my things, getting into uniform e.t.c. before going downstairs. But I hit a speed bump as a bunch of people in business suits holding clipboards and various forms of pathogen and toxin detecting equipment walked in through the front door. In other words they were the health inspectors.

Shit.

If they happened to wave their viral detectors at me I'd show up on their sensors as a freaking beacon for the Blacklight virus. On top of that if they see me drinking blood they'd get suspicious and put Jii-chan on the spot!

I quietly walked back up the stairs and around the stairwell out of sight. I slipped on the Booster again before teleporting to the fridge where Jii-chan kept the blood packets. I managed to grab two and teleport out just before the inspectors walked around the corner. I would've gone back for more but if I did I'd be late for school, an equally terrible scenario. I quickly drained the two as fast as I could before taking off for the train station.

* * *

**Class 7-A Sakugawa Middle School**

* * *

The day progressed pretty smoothly until after lunch. I was feeling incredibly exhausted and hungry without the blood smoothie I usually drank to keep my strength up. I've never been without nourishment for this long. Even when I lived at the orphanage I usually just snuck out into the fish market and consumed a few fish to make sure I didn't get too hungry. I was really beginning to regret the fact that I didn't manage to get more than the two blood packets I drank for breakfast.

"Sieg-san, would you please answer the problem and explain your method?" said Daigo-sensei, snapping me out of my thoughts as I looked up at the board. The problem asked, "If two forces act on an object with 200 Newtons of force and 120 Newtons of force at 60 degree and 45 degree angles respectively, what is the total amount of force being acted on the object."

"Eh? Oh. First you would have to find the Cartesian coordinates of the two forces. The first force has coordinates of (100, 173.21) and the second (84.85, -84.85). When combined the resulting Cartesian coordinates are (184.65, 88.36). You would then use Pythagoras's formula to covert it back to polar coordinates, resulting in a final answer of approximately 250 Newtons." I said as clearly as I could despite my lack of energy.

It was a vector question, an unintentional but unwelcome reminder of my fight with Accelerator not too long ago.

"A perfect answer, thank you for that textbook-perfect response." I bowed politely before sitting back down.

"_Teacher's pet..."_

"_Nerd..."_

I sighed at the whispers of my classmates. They didn't know that I have pretty good hearing, so I could hear every insult they slung at me. It's their fault for not studying isn't it?

"_Then why don't you shut them up?_" said an echoing voice eerily similar to mine.

I felt my eyes widen as I glanced around the room trying to discern the origin of the voice. Was someone trying to creep me out by imitating me?

"_No you idiot, I'm in your head." _So I'm suddenly schizophrenic solely because of the fact that I didn't eat lunch. Who and what is this thing in my head?

"_Hell if I know. All I do know is that I'm stuck with you, so you better get used to it._" Note to self, never skip lunch again.

"Alright then, where did you come from and why?" I whispered to the mysterious voice.

"_I haven't a clue where the fuck I came from, I just woke up and found myself listening to those annoying, lazy ass humans you call classmates."_ It may be coarse, but I agree with it this time.

"_Damn straight. Why do you even bother pretending to be human anyway? It's a hell of a lot more fun to just go out and destroy what gets in your way!"_

"Because I'd like to not be vaporized by the most powerful denizens of this city and live a relatively normal life thank you very much."

"_You're annoyingly quiet, overly polite, and incredibly boring you know that?"_

You're irritatingly talkative, unbelievably rude, and an obnoxious potty-mouth. What's your point?

"_Heh, touche." _

"Anyhow, could you quiet down at least until after school? I have algebra and trigonometry to work through."

"_Fine..." _The voice then went quiet. Thank goodness.

"_I can still read your thoughts you know._" I rubbed my temples as the voice came back. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

After school ended I began heading straight home to hopefully sate my hunger and get some answers about the mysterious voice and why the hell it manifested in the first place. Unfortunately for me when I asked it to be quiet until school was over, it apparently interpreted it as "be quiet until school was over then talk without end for the next few hours".

For example, on the train we had this delightful conversation:

"_So, where are we going?"_

"Home. Hopefully there I can ask Jii-chan about why you're here and possibly how I can get rid of you."

"_Your old man's a doctor? You live in a hospital don't you?"_

"And?"

"_Goes to show where you get your boring behavior from."_

"Well it's better than being as obnoxious as you are."

"_You mean as fun and awesome as I am."_

"What are you, eight? I always thought schizophrenic voices would taunt you or something, not act boastful and childish!"

"_To the best of my knowledge I'm only a couple of hours old. But hey, if you want me to make fun of you..."_

"Never mind I asked. Can't you act mature for more than a split second?"

"_If mature means boring then no."_

"Of course you don't. Anyway we're almost there. Just behave until we get there. God I feel like I'm talking to a kid."

"_Well you technically are if you consider how long I've been around. Besides, you're technically a kid too, so don't act so condescending! By the way, I have the urge to go out and break something. Don't you?"_

"No, I don't. You're getting on my nerves."

"_Too bad. This city is full of things that'd be good to break. The best part is that this city is like New York. It looks like paradise but it's a shithole of a place for a lot of people."_

"Believe me, I already met a lot of people who've made that statement."

"_Really? I'd like to meet them then. We could get together, break a ton of shit, and have so much fun doing it!"_

"No, thank you. I'd like to avoid becoming a criminal."

"_Again, borrring! Don't you do anything fun?"_

"If you mean beating the snot out of any crook that happens to cross my path, then yes."

"_Cool! I guess you're not as boring as I thought. Can we go do it now? Please?"_

"When I get to work, sure. But until then stay quiet!"

"_Alright, I guess it's tough being one of those stuck-up officers on an empty stomach."_

"I'm not that stuck up... maybe Kuroko is but I usually just prefer beat the crap out of them."

"_Who's Kuroko? Your girlfriend?"_

"Just a friend, a pretty snobby one but she can back it up in combat. Besides she's too interested in Misaka to have feelings for me."

"_So you do like her."_

"Like I said, just as a friend. You're prone to blowing things out of proportion aren't you?"

"_Just me being me."_

"Whatever, this is ou- my stop."

"_Oh look, you're already treating me as a person. You do care about me!"_

"For the love of God, shut up!" I growled audibly, much to the confusion of the people around me. They turned around with raised eyebrows as I facepalmed at my outburst in embarrassment.

"I can't believe I'm losing it before I even reach sixteen. I hate you stupid voice, you know that?"

"_Geez, look who's being the grumpy one now."_

I sighed once again in frustration as I walked off the train.

* * *

**Heaven Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

"I'm home..." I said exasperated by the voice's blabbering and my own exhaustion. Leaving my backpack in the corner, I walked over to my grandfather.

"You look tired Sieg. Is something wrong?" asked Jii-chan as he looked up from his papers.

"Well two things actually. The first is the fact that because of the surprise health inspection I was unable to get the blood packets I needed for lunch."

"I see, and the other issue?"

"That's the real kicker. You see Jii-chan, I just found out in class today that I'm schizophrenic."

He raised an eyebrow, "You're telling me that you suddenly started hearing voices in your head?"

"Yes, but only one voice. It's rude, impatient, childish, and won't stop telling me to go on some sort of destructive rampage. The worse part is that it seems to be sentient!"

"_That's __supposed to be__ a bad thing?"_ the voice said rather smugly.

"Yes, it is a bad thing!" I barked back at seemingly empty air.

"Well, it certainly seems like you have your hands full. I can try to recommend you to a psychologist, but I've never heard of someone suddenly becoming schizophrenic for no apparent reason."

"It started today after lunch, so I was thinking that I'd have to drink some blood packets to get it to be quiet."

"That sounds reasonable. Unfortunately the inspectors took all of the packets for analysis on their way out. They won't be back until tomorrow."

"All of them?" I asked dumbstruck. Please say it isn't so.

"I'm sorry, but they didn't leave a single one."

My face fell as I heard those words. I clenched my head, ready to tear my hair out. "You've got to be kidding me!"

I could hear the voice cackling at my despair, _"__You've got to be kidding me!" _it said mocking imitation of my earlier fit.

"Just because you sound just like me doesn't mean you're allowed to imitate me!"

"_This is comedy gold! You get into shit like this often don't you?_ _" _it continued while ignoring me.

"Why you..."

"Wait a moment, you said that it sounds like you?" asked Jii-chan at my comment.

I stopped as I heard this, "Uh, yeah. The voice sounds just like mine."

"Hmmm, may I propose an alternate theory to your predicament then?"

"Anything if it helps me get rid of it!"

"_And here I thought we were bonding..."_ it snarked at my pleas to rid myself of it.

"Well, based on your previous statement, I think that the voice you're hearing is not simple schizophrenia. It may be a split personality given consciousness by your predicament this morning."

"So you're saying that it's a part of my mind, and because of my lack of nourishment today it managed to gain self-awareness?"

"Precisely. It's only a theory, but it would make sense considering that you have the combined consciousness of hundreds if not thousands of people in your mind. In addition, you said it was rude and impatient with a destructive streak, not unlike you when you're in a fight. It may have manifested as an entirely different personality due to your body's natural desire to feed."

"That makes sense, but how can I get rid of it?"

"The human psyche is not my field of expertise, but I'd say if you come to terms with it your consciousnesses may merge back into one. Until then you may have to live with it for a while."

"_Told you."_

"Oh, shut it!" Realizing what I said I quickly turned back to my adoptive grandfather, "Sorry, I wasn't directing that at you!"

"That's alright, but this brings up another issue. You're going to have to be careful in your interactions with others from now on to keep your friends from getting the wrong idea."

"As if my social life wasn't miserable enough already..." I still had Uiharu, Saten, and the dynamic duo from Tokiwadai as friends, but otherwise I've been completely unable to do anything but attract the ire of everyone else either through my diligent habits.

"_Who needs friends anyway? If you just take apart everything that stands in your way then you'll be fine!"_

"Does everything you do have to involve violence?" I asked the voice while feeling a migraine coming on.

"_It doesn't **have **__to but it's a hell of a lot more **fun** that way!"_

"Of course it is to you." I muttered at the voice as it continued to laugh.

I started heading for the door, "I need to go out. Maybe it'll help me clear my head."

"Just try not to get in trouble!" called Jii-chan as I began walking out through the double doors.

"I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee anything with this thing in my head."

"_I won't get you in **that** much trouble."_

"You better not..." I muttered back.

* * *

**Streets of Academy City**

* * *

Much to my surprise and relief, the damned voice quieted down quite a bit once I got out onto the streets once more. The sky was nice and clear and the ever prominent cool breeze was blowing through, saving many people from sun strokes and unconsciousness as the sun beat down on us city goers.

It was nice to be able to think clearly without having a voice annoyingly similar to mine blabber at me about breaking stuff all the time. I was even able to take a peaceful stroll though the city for an entire hour without the voice pestering me about my daily activities. The only thing kept me from fully enjoying the day was the fact that I was so damn hungry that it was taking a lot of willpower to not attempt to eat someone. Being concerned with the fact that you _have_ to eat a still-living being like a human as well as being surrounding by your prey is not a fun prospect.

Still I wonder why it suddenly decided to quiet down. Did it run out of things to talk about?

"_What, you're missing me already?"_ Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

"To be honest I didn't miss you much at all, but since you're here I was simply wondering why you got all quiet all of a sudden." I quietly muttered to the voice. The clamor of the city hid my voice, but I still didn't want anyone walking past me to think I'm insane (though I'm starting to think that I'm heading in that direction).

"You're still not answering my question."

"_I just decided to leave you on your own for a while so that you'd stop telling me to shut up long enough for me to say something meaningful. Besides, it gave me time to take a nap. Your old man is doing it too."_

"Thank you for giving a straight response. Wait, you two can take naps in my mind?"

"_Well you can daydream, so why not?"_

"Not a great explanation but fine. What do you want to comment on this time?"

"_Nothing, I just heard that you were wondering where I was and decided to come out and talk."_

"Is that so... well I guess you're more considerate than I thought you were."

"_If you like me that much I'll come back all the time!"_ it said teasingly.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Though _if_ you are stuck with me I hope we can get along."

"_The feeling's mutual. Though I wish you'd get out more and show off more often. It's boring and weird just watching act like a normal person!"_

"I see where you're coming from but it wouldn't be a good idea in a city full of people with superpowers. I admit it's a bit boring acting like something I'm not but it's either that or being hunted, the latter of which I would really like to avoid."

"_Whatever. Hey, there's a girl running up to you at six o'clock. Is she an enemy?"_

"A girl?" I turned around to see Saten sliding through the crowd while waving her hand at me.

"She isn't an enemy, just another one of the few people I call my friends."

"_Aw, I was hoping for a fight." _it whined.

"By the way, how did you know she was there?" I asked ignoring its previous comment.

"_I'm in your head idiot. I see, hear, and feel everything you do. It's just that I have nothing to do in here so I pay better attention to our surroundings than you."_ it said rather smugly.

"Hey Sieg! What's up?" said Saten as she approached, still carrying the bag she uses for school.

"Nothing much. I'm probably going to head to the Judgment office soon. What do you plan on doing Saten-san?"

"I told you, don't be so formal with me! You're making me sound old!"

"Right, right sorry Saten."

"Anyway, I'm heading there to see Uiharu, do you mind if I walk with you?"

"No, not at all."

"Great!" She then looked at me with a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright Sieg? You look kind of pale." What am I supposed to tell her? That I'm lacking my daily meal of blood and that I now have a voice commenting on my every action 24/7?

"No, I'm fine. I didn't eat enough for lunch I think, so I'm not feeling very energetic at the moment is all. Thanks for your concern though." I politely and quickly made up as an excuse for my condition.

"Hey, that's what friends are for right? Alright, onward to the Judgment office!" she declared as she began dragging me around as she usually does. The girl doesn't look like it but she has killer arm strength.

"_Is **she** your girlfriend?" _

"N-No she isn't!" I mouthed, my voice sounding much less convinced than last time. "We're just friends I'm telling you!"

"_Oh really? Doesn't seem that way to me..."_ it insinuated in the most irritating way possible.

"Just pipe down and behave!" I growled back.

"Did you say something Sieg?" Saten asked, having heard my retort.

"No, nothing at all! Ha, ha." I said while laughing nervously.

"_You have a crush on her, don't you?" _I felt my face begin to flush at that, stupid mind reader!

"_I knew it! I can't wait to tell this to your dad! It'll be so much fun to see what kind of shit happens!" _

It then yawned_, "Well I'm taking a nap for now. Good night!"_ it replied before going quiet once more and before I could come up with a response.

I swear, I'm going to murder this voice if it has a physical form when I go to sleep tonight.

* * *

**Judgment 177th Branch Office**

* * *

We climbed up the two flights of stairs to the office in a surprisingly short amount of time. When we arrived Saten poked her head in first.

"Hello! Is Uiharu in?" she asked with her usual energy and spunk.

Konori-senpai looked somewhat peeved by Saten's sudden entry, "You again? For Pete's sake this isn't your hangout."

"Yeah, yeah I know. But I have a legitimate excuse this time." my classmate replied before reaching into her bag. "Ta-da! My remedial worksheet! I was going to have Uiharu help me out with it."

Senpai's reaction to Saten's excuse all but said that she really didn't know how to respond to my long-haired friend. "Geez, Uiharu-san is over there." Saten ran over to our flowering wearing friend as I entered the office as well..

"I'm here too." I chimed soon after.

"A little late aren't you?" my superior gently scolded.

"Sorry Chief, I was feeling a bit under the weather today so I decided to go home, but my Jii-chan insisted I come to work today." This one had barely any truth in it, but it sounded perfectly plausible at least.

"Well, at least you came. The higher-ups sent even more paperwork today, so I'll need a lot of help finishing it."

"Point me to it and I'll begin!" I said as exuberantly as I could. She gestured at a desk piled with papers that were stacked almost as high as the cubicle wall.

"Well, there's no time like the present..." I got down to it and started going through and filling out every possibly report and form imaginable at a police station like this one. Crime reports, unexplained damages, forms for pictures of Misaka... I'm not going to ask about this one.

Konori-senpai then turned to Saten as the latter approached Uiharu, "Now may not be the best time to talk to Uiharu-san though. She's in a bit of a foul mood-"

"U-i-ha-ru!" said Saten as she flipped Uiharu's skirt in her usual routine. Konori-senpai could only look on shocked at Saten's shameful behavior. I for one was used to it at this point.

"Oh, clovers today? Alright, where's the lucky four-leafed clover today?"

Oddly enough, there was no reaction from the recipient side of the perverted action. In fact, she acted as if nothing happened at all, continuing to speed read through a myriad of magazines with a stoic expression in contrast with her usual emotional one.

Saten tried harder to get a response, "Hey hey, I'm pulling up your skirt here! What a view!" Despite this Uiharu continued to ignore our friend.

Tears formed in Saten's eyes at the lack of a reaction, "What happened to Uiharu?" she said unnerved.

"She got into an argument with Shirai-san, so she's a bit, you know..." answered Konori-senpai, looking more unnerved by Saten than Uiharu.

The Chief began explaining to us what happened between the two of them. Apparently the pair came across a group of car burglars in the middle of another one of their heists. Kuroko refused to wait for backup and walked in on the scene the way she usually did. Unfortunately, there was a robber in the car already as she walked near the door. She was knocked out by the blunt force of the door slamming into her as the bandits fled. Uiharu tried to stall them but was injured by a stun gun for her trouble. When they came to an argument began between them over how they handled the situation.

"So that's what happened." said Saten as Konori-senpai's summary finished.

"Yep. So let's leave her alone for a bit."

"If that's the case, why doesn't she just quit Judgment?" muttered Saten at the cause of her friend's behavior.

Konori-senpai almost did a spit take, "Wait a second, don't say such irresponsible things. Judgment, along with Anti-Skill, is the organization responsible for keeping peace in Academy City. It's not a job you can just throw away casually."

"So... all we can do is leave them be?" I was wondering that myself.

"We can't say that either, but I think everything will be fine in the end."

"Eh, is there something between the two of them?" There is? I thought they met at the Judgment office.

Konori-senpai smiled, "Would you like to hear about it?" she said as Uiharu continued to tap away at her keyboard. Saten nodded and I ended up listening in too.

It was rather long, so I'll give you the skinny of it. When Kuroko was in fifth grade she had been a Judgment member for a year. She met Uiharu at training camp (which I had skipped) where they had become friends. While on patrol with Konori-senpai (who wasn't the chief yet) they stopped by the bank to pick up some money to go buy sweets. However, a man attempted to holdup the bank, only to be quickly incapacitated by the young Kuroko.

Unfortunately, Uiharu also happened be at the bank at the same time and was taken hostage by yet another robber (why are there so many bandits in this city). Konori-senpai was injured when she shielded Kuroko from an explosion caused by the robber's destruction of a security robot. Kuroko was then brutally beat down by the burglar.

Regardless, she adamantly stood up against him, almost getting killed as a result by the burglar's ability, Equal Speed, which allowed the objects he threw to keep moving in a certain direction no matter what, breaking the laws of motion. She however, was saved by a sudden lightning bolt out of nowhere (I have a feeling lead to Kuroko's obsession with Misaka, despite her earlier apparent bad-mouthing of her) which vaporized the projectiles, allowing Kuroko to subdue the crook. Uiharu and Kuroko then made a promise that day to stick to and uphold the ideals of justice they believed in.

After Konori-senpai finished her story Uiharu got up from her seat and began heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked. If I remember correctly, Uiharu was officially mission control, not a field agent.

"I've located the car burglars, I'm going to go after them now." she replied with the most serious voice I've ever heard from her.

"By yourself? They used a stun gun on you last time, plus they have a numerical advantage. Wait for Kuroko at least!"

"No, I'll handle this as an officer of Judgment."

"Wait-" she then left the office, ignoring my warnings. I was about to get up and stop her when Konori-senpai put her hand on my shoulder.

"Don't," she said firmly, "this is something she needs to handle on her own. It's also probably the best chance she has to make up with Kuroko."

"It is?" So they're going to make up by stopping another car robbery?

"Yes." she then picked up the phone and began to dial before she began to speak again.

"Is this Shirai-san?" I decided to patch in again with a discreet electric spark I emitted from my gloved hand.

"Y-yes, this is Shirai."'

"Shirai-san, Uiharu just left to go after the car burglars."

"She did?"

"Yes. As soon she located the car burglars she took off in search of them. So Shirai-san, what are you going to do about it?" I see, giving her a dilemma to force her to intervene, pretty crafty Senpai.

"I'm going to..." Kuroko paused, which is very unusual for her.

"Follow your convictions and act in the way you feel is right, was it?" interjected the sound of Misaka's voice.

"Sounds good," she continued, "as long as you keep moving forward it doesn't matter if you sometimes butt heads."

There was another pause before I heard the once again resolute Kuroko, "I'll be right there! Someone has to keep that klutz out of trouble!" the phone then hung up.

"Another issue settled." concluded the Chief. By now I had finally finished the formerly towering stack of papers after nearly two hours of work.

I then heard someone yawning, despite the fact that every person in the room aside from me was full of energy. That could only mean one thing, I really needed an excuse to leave the office.

"Do you mind going around for a quick patrol Sieg-san?" That's certainly convenient.

"No, of course not. I'll head out right away." I got up and made my way to the door.

"Thanks, you're pretty reliable you know."

"Not at all, just doing my job." I said to gently brushed off the compliment as I rushed out of the office.

* * *

**Streets of Academy City**

* * *

I was lucky enough to be out on the streets where the din of the crowd hid my muttering as the voice came back.

"Are_ y_ou there?" I asked it to double check.

It yawned again,_ "That was a nice nap. So, did anything happen?"_

"Nothing much. Just had a talk with my boss and dragged myself through a sea of paperwork."

"_So what are we doing now?"_

"I'm officially on patrol, which gave me a convenient excuse to leave before you came back to drive me nuts again."

"_So you're going to go kick some ass? Finally, I've been waiting all day to see some action. Maybe I should get in on it too."_

That last statement confused me, "Wait, what do you mean by getting in on it?" It was a disembodied voice in my head, how exactly would it "get in" on anything?

"_You'll see. It won't be a surprise if I tell you now!"_

"Great... you're giving me the feeling that I'm going to hate whatever you have in store."

"_Yup, that's the fun part!"_

I sighed, why can't anyone give me a straight answer about these things?

"_Because then life would be fucking boring! Like you, but even more so!"_

"Well I can sort of agree with the first part of that statement, but the second was not needed!"

"_That was just to bother you. Your dad's boring too, sleeping all day, but at least he acts like what he is rather live a life like yours."_

"You mean a mass murderer and near sociopath of a father who can just barely show affection for me?"

"_Exactly!"_

I sighed again, "I can't tell if you're a sadist or just plain morbid."

"_I dunno, probably both!" _it shouted cheerfully.

"I should have expected a response like that from you. You're not the intellectual type are you?"

"_Are you calling me a retard?"_

"Why would I do that?"

"_Grrr..." _

"Relax, I was only teasing. You really do have a kid's temper."

"_Like you're one to talk."_

"At least I abstain from excessive violence and can control my urges. I don't think you can."

"_Why would I If it's a natural part of me?"_

I hate nature versus nurture arguments, "Because it's bound to get you, and probably me, captured, killed, or worse."

"_We're supposed to live fast and die young right? Better to live a few, short fun years than a lot of boring years right?"_

"I can't follow people with a train of thought like yours."

It started laughing again as I made a turn down an alleyway to check for gang activity. Sure enough, I bumped into a rather tall person in an alleyway as I passed through an intersection. I looked up to see the face of a teenager who looks around sixteen or seventeen years old, his face covered in piercings.

"Watch it, gaki! This isn't a place for kids!" So he thinks I'm just a kid, let's play the part.

"_You're going to act all innocent to spy on them, you might actually kind of fun to be stuck with!" _

Yeah, yeah, just shut it and watch.

"Sorry mister!" I said in a high-pitched and perky voice to make myself seem younger than I actually was, "I was just passing through on the way to the comic store. Say, whatcha doing there?"

"None of your business, get lost gaki!"

"But I really want to know!" I whined.

"Let him in, he's just a kid. Besides, we can do some business with him can't we?" said another delinquent. He had straight brown hair and eyes that left the white sclera below the iris visible.

They led me to an abandoned and decrepit looking warehouse complex before opening the door and letting me inside. The foyer was surprisingly large, and housed a ton of male and female delinquents all wearing clothes typical of yankees along with a transfixed scowl on their faces.

"Who's the brat?" asked one woman wearing an odd mix of 80s and 90s American clothing.

The guy with sanpaku eyes smirked as he withdrew a knife from his pocket, "Just someone we'll be doing business with. Now kid, give me your wallet and phone as part of the game."

"But they're mine, not yours!" I cried, continuing my facade as a naive kid.

"Just give us your money or you're not leaving here!"

"_Get this over with already! I want to get to the fighting!"_

"Alright, fine..." I swiftly threw a back kick at the guy with the knife pointed at my back. His eyes widened as my foot made contact with his groin and he was knocked back slightly before falling on the floor in pain. I thought I kicked him harder though. I guess my strength is reduced to that of an adult human when I'm hungry.

The rest looked shocked by the display before I revealed my Judgment band. "I'm from Judgment, you're under arrest for attempted robbery."

"Tamezou you idiot! You brought someone from Judgment in here!"

"It doesn't matter, he can't take all of us!"

"This looks like it's going to get ugly." I muttered to the voice, "Any bright ideas?"

"_Yeah, let me take control!"_

"What are you-" I began, but I felt the words go dead in my throat as my limbs went numb.

I felt the corners of my lips turn up in a smirk, though not of my own volition.

"I've been waiting all day for a fight! Come on, shitheads! Let's see what you've got!" I heard my voice say, but it was once again not my choice.

"_What the heck is going on!" _I tried to say, but I found my voice echoing with no one to hear it.

"This is what I was talking about earlier! I can use your body to get in on the action! Consider it payment for all of the boring stuff you put me through today!"

I then felt my legs push off the ground as I was flung towards the closest delinquent, who was given a powerful right cross followed a left jab in a one-two combo. After he hit the wall behind with surprising force, two more came at me wielding pipes.

"Really, for me?" said the voice as it grasped the pair by their throats, lifting them into the air. He then dropped the two of them, leaving them gasping for oxygen. It then picked up the pipes and began holding them like swords, "You shouldn't have!"

I then heard the familiar click of a magazine being locked into a rifle. _"They've got live ammo!"_ I yelled to try and get its attention.

"I can hear you, geez!" it replied as it turned around towards the sound of the noise, taking off in a sprint straight towards the would-be gunmen. The two were surprised by its (technically my) speed and could only gape as they were quickly knocked out by a blow to the head from the pipes.

"Eat lead you fucking brat!" yelled the girl from earlier as she drew a rifle not unlike the one Ina was holding when I found her.

"_Now would be a good time to dodge!"_

"Why are you so worried? It's only standard caliber. We can take it!" We ran straight through the gunfire, taking bullets to the arms, legs, and chest but without slowing down.

We eventually reached the girl and slammed a pipe into her side, stunning her before a follow up kick sent her to the floor as I heard ribs break.

The voice clicked the roof of my mouth with my tongue, "Language!"

"_You're the last one to say something like that. More importantly, take it easy! If you get too enthusiastic you'll kill them!"_

"And? Survival of the fittest, if they get in our way we take them down!" it said as it quickly pummeled another bloke into submission. We then rushed an entire group of them and bowled into them linebacker style. A kick to the groin each kept them quiet. We heard muttering from above afterward.

"What the hell is this kid!" yelled one of them as he loaded a bullpup rifle from the rafters above.

"Wait, this kid's uniform, it's Sakugawa's!" said another.

"What's so great about that?"

"Don't you remember? A Judgment member from Sakugawa who looks like a kid managed to take down the ranked first Level 5 in a fight!"

"You're saying that's him?"

"What the fuck are they talking about?" asked the voice in confusion.

"_It's as they said. I took down the ranked first Level 5 esper when he pissed me off by almost killing a friend of mine." _I replied. _"I didn't know that beating Accelerator in the middle of the night would make me famous enough to scare an entire gang like this one. Well, works for me."_

"He must have been weak to be taken down by you."

"_Actually he was. Once I figured out how his ability worked he went down in one punch after I got past the pointy rocks, plasma beams, and his invincible barrier."_

"I'm impressed, I didn't think a pansy like you could inspire fear." it said with a degree of awe.

"_I have my moments."_

"Whatever, I'm just about to clean up anyway." We jumped onto the nearby boxes to get close to the rafters. Seeings as though they were too far away to reasonably close the distance and hit them it threw the now dented and beaten pipes at the armed pair, sending them off their perches onto the cold, hard floor."

"My arm!" one screamed, having bent his arm at an unnatural angle upon landing. The other clutched his leg in pain, probably having broken it.

"That strength can't be human, it must be his esper power! Use that machine that glasses bitch gave us to short him out! Hurry!" A bunch of them rushed off before wheeling what looked like a huge speaker set.

Suddenly a sharp pain arced and reverberated through my head. "What the fuck is that?" the voice asked.

"_I'm wondering the same thing. Whatever it is it's probably coming from that speaker set, so smash it!"_

"Way ahead of you!" Despite the pain we managed to run over to the space and make our way to the machine. The punks guarding the machine weren't much of a challenge, and were practically swatted aside with a flurry of elbow strikes, knee attacks, and bitch slaps in spite of their best efforts. I almost felt bad for them. Almost.

Moving on, the closer we got to the machine the louder and more painful the sound got. It sounded louder than a jet turbine and as pleasant as nails on a chalkboard by the time we got in front of it. Thankfully, the noise quickly stopped when we grabbed a nearby metal rod and stabbed it through the machine.

We surveyed our surroundings afterward. The every gang member who wasn't lying on the floor unconscious or in pain had fled in terror.

"Now, what should I do with you..." said the voice as we walked over to the delinquent with the knife.

"What do you want? You beat us all already!" the man pitifully cried.

"I dunno, a _snack._"

"_You're not actually going to consume him, are you?"_

"Why not?" it said, turning my arm into a claw, albeit significantly smaller due to a lack of biomass.

"_Because It'll get us hounded to the ends of the earth! I already made a deal with Blackwatch not to eat anyone!"_

"Who cares? As long as we survive it doesn't matter right?" My arm was raised.

"_Hey, listen to me! You better not do it!"_

"Bottoms up!" The claw shot forward.

"_**STOP IT!"**_

To my relief, the claw stopped centimeters from the sap's chest, who was staring in shock and frozen in fear. Even better, I regained control of my body.

"Sorry, I got carried away there." I apologized while turning my arm back to normal. You don't realize how nice it is to be able to vocalize your thoughts to others until you lose that ability.

The man's response was to simply to faint on the floor from fright.

"I can't believe you almost made me consume someone." I told the voice.

"_We're hungry, I can't believe you refused to over something stupid like morals."_

"I'll get the blood we need tomorrow, just hold on until then."

"_You're too nice for your own good."_

"Maybe I am, it's just how I do things. Speaking of how we do things, aside from the excessive collateral and bodily harm you did a pretty good job of subduing them."

"_Wow, the first words of praise I got out of you."_

"Yeah, don't count on getting much more unless you fix your act."

"_What act? I'm not pretending to be anything."_

"Not that. We're going to have to set some rules alright?"

"_Oh god, a lecture!" _it whined.

"Yes, a lecture." I said the way a teacher would. "First, no killing or consuming. The last thing we need to do is have both the American and Japanese governments on our tails. Second, keep damage to a minimum. I enjoy beating the crap out of a punk as much as the next guy, but overdoing it will get us in trouble. Third, no taking my body without permission. It could set up all sorts of embarrassing situations."

"_I can't agree to any of that!"_

"Sorry friend. My body, my rules."

"_I'm going to do what I want with it. You can't stop me!"_ it then made a sound akin to the one you'd make when you stick your tongue out at someone.

"It's not happening again. Go ahead, try it."

It did, making heavily audible sounds of effort. _"What gives, I did it so easily before!" it said while panting._

"The only reason that worked is because you caught me off guard. I've had plenty of practice with my dad, mind control of that level doesn't work on me."

"_I'll get you back for this!" _it growled.

"You can spar with me tonight if you live where I think you do. I won't lose. Honestly, I'd prefer it if we could work together rather than fight each other."

I then proceeded to pluck a few bullets out of my arm and chest. I guess the voice was right, the caliber of the bullets wasn't strong enough to go all the way through and cause serious damage.

"What should I call you anyway? I'd hate to call you "the voice" every time I want to talk to you."

"_How the hell should I know, think of something!"_

"A name for you..." I thought about it carefully. As irritating as he (since it's annoying to say to call the thing it all the time) is, he's still a part of me in a way, so I didn't want to name him something stupid.

"How about Kraft?"

"_Kraft? Like the food company?" _he asked questioningly.

"I meant it as the German word for force or power, since that seems to be your M.O. for pretty much everything. Plus, it nicely fits with the theme of my own German-based name. Bonus points if you know that it's the name of a really tough boss from an old handheld game."

"_When you put it that way it's actually kind of cool sounding... Still you really suck at coming up with names don't you?"_

"I'm not that bad... I'm just creative is all."

"_That's a given. Fine, Kraft it is."_

Well at least that went right today. "Since we got off on the wrong foot this morning I suppose we should reintroduce ourselves. My name is Sieg Mercer, your host body and original personality, nice to meet you."

"_I guess that makes me Kraft Mercer, your new split personality. My hobbies are kicking ass and chewing bubblegum, and I'm all out of bubblegum."_

I chuckled at that one, "Did you really make that movie reference as an introduction?"

"_Is there a problem with that?"_

"Not at all, just making a note of it."

"_Good. Say, don't you have something you're supposed to do right now?"_

It then dawned on me that we left a small platoon's worth of gang members incapacitated with painful wounds. "Yikes! I completely forgot to call an ambulance and Anti-Skill to pick these guys up!

I pulled out the com link I got on my first day at work and dialed for home.

"_See, I'm not only about violence."_

"Yeah, I would've gotten in trouble. Thanks Kraft!"

I then heard the phone get picked up, "This is Heaven Canceller speaking."

"Uh, hi Jii-chan."

"Sieg? Why are you calling?"

"Kraft and I got carried away here at a gang hideout. We're going to need to call a couple of ambulances."

"Kraft?"

"That's what I named the voice in my head after he took my body for a joyride."

"_It was a pretty fun joyride until you started being a killjoy." _commented my more aggressive personality at the thought.

I could hear Jii-chan pause, "How many injured people are there?"

"One, two, five, twelve... I'm pretty sure there's twenty or so people in need of medical attention."

He sighed, "Give me an address."

I walked outside to look for any street signs in the area, "Um, 42-07 42nd Avenue, 35th street in School District 10 I think."

"Very well, I'll notify the other hospitals as well. See you later."

"See you later Jii-chan." The phone then hung up.

"Now for Anti-Skill." I began dialing immediately.

"U-um, this is Anti-Skill. W-what is your emergency?" stuttered the lady over at the other end.

"This is Judgment member Sieg Mercer, I've subdued a group of twenty or so gang members from..." I nudged one of them on the ground with my foot.

"What's the name of your gang again?"

"Why should I-" I shot him a glare that basically said, "Talk or die."

"Big Spider! Our gang's name is Big Spider!"

"Thank you. I subdued a sect of a gang called Big Spider after they attempted robbery on my person. I injured them so I alerted the local hospitals, but I'd like to request an investigation of the premises since they used firearms with live ammo in an attempt to silence me."

"O-Okay. I'll send in a report. P-Please stay there until we arrive to confirm your claim."

"Understood ma'am, signing off." As I did I collapsed on the floor from exhaustion, ignoring the moans of pain in the background.

"I'm beat! You really worked my body here Kraft!"

"_What, was I supposed to do things halfway?"_

"Maybe not. Still, going an entire day like this without eating is killing me here! Probably literally."

"_That's why I tried to consume one of them, we're starving!"_

I sat up cross legged, "Sorry Kraft, not going to happen. Unless they really piss me off I'm not eating anyone."

"_But why? You would put the lives of these nobodies no one cares about over ours?"_

I burst out in laughter at the sudden reversal of roles, "Now you're the one lecturing me!"

Once I regained my composure I continued, "I guess you're right though. It its kind of stupid for me to put these morals of mine over my, well our life now."

"_Then why not eat a few of these bastards and be done with it?"_

"I know it's really dumb of me to do this, but I can't bear to bring myself to it. You see, Jii-chan saved me from the brink of death and continued to help me despite knowing about what I was. He's the person I admire most, and to just eat people like a monster would just betray the ideals he instilled in me. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"_Meh, not really."_

I could have sworn I pulled off an anime style sweat drop at the blunt response.

"_But you're the boss. __W__hat you say __is the law __and__ I have no choice but to follow it."_

That was a pleasant surprise, "If that's your version of being understanding, thanks."

"_Let me remind you though. If we're about to die I'll force feed you if I have to in order to keep us alive. I'm not putting the lives of our enemies over us, got it?"_

"Loud and clear. I guess we do care about each other after all."

"_I guess we do, so don't make me drag my ass out there to save you!"_

"Point taken. Though given how much trouble I get into you might have to somewhere along the way."

"_As long as I get to have fun kicking ass, I don't care."_

"Well, at least I'll never be out of things to do with you around."

"_Don't worry, I'll die of boredom first should that ever come to pass."_

"Your vocabulary suddenly got bigger! That was the most eloquent sentence I ever heard from you!" I teased.

"_You're calling me stupid aren't you?! Don't make me use your own arm to punch you in the face!"_

We both started laughing just as the paramedics and Anti-Skill burst in, to which I abruptly stopped and put on a straight face.

A tall, attractive woman wearing an Anti-Skill uniform whose black hair was styled in a ponytail walked up to me. "So you're the one who took out all of these delinquents. It seems you did a number on them too."

"Yes ma'am. To be fair, they attempted to use lethal weaponry against me first."

"Did you say lethal weaponry?"

"Uh, yeah. They used rifles, knives, and some kind of machine that causes espers to receive headaches and shorts out their powers." I pointed at the strange contraption. "I broke it though." I quickly added.

"Yet you managed to defeat all of them by yourself while remaining unharmed."

"Yup." I didn't mention Kraft's part in the one sided slaughter of a fight to keep her from questioning my sanity.

"You sound more like a one man army than a police officer." She has no idea how true that is.

"Well... it was do or die right?"

"That seems to be the case-jan." That's a new verbal tic.

"Anyhow, we'll take care of things here. Report back to your Judgment office, it's late-jan." I gave her a somewhat downtrodden look. I fight a ton of gangsters on an empty stomach and you're still making me walk back?

"Don't give me that look, the extra mile or two of walking will do you good-jan."

"Yes ma'am... Thank you for taking over though." I reluctantly replied, still out of breath from the ordeal.

I then began the tedious walk back to the office.

* * *

**Judgment 177th Branch Office**

* * *

I tried my best to walk into the office, but I ended up just slumping against the door frame. I've never felt this worn out before, and it's not something I'd like to revisit any time soon.

"I'm back... Konori-senpai..." I managed between gasps for air.

"Sieg-san, you look terrible! What happened!"

"Nothing I couldn't handle... just a gang called Big Spider... Don't worry about me... I'm just tired..."

She froze in shock. "Did you say Big Spider?"

"Yes... does it matter?"

She then shook her head, as if to reassure herself, "No, your condition is more important. I'm calling your guardian."

"Don't... he already knows... Could you... call me a taxi... to take me home instead... please..."

"I just got my learner's permit, I'll drive you to the hospital myself."

"That's... funny actually... I live at the hospital... my Jii-chan's the head surgeon..."

"Save your breath." she instructed as she picked me up the way you'd hold a small child. "You're heavier than you look."

"Family trait..." I mumbled in response. After that, things were pretty much a daze for a while. I remember being gently laid on the passenger side of a car. Everything else afterward was just a blur.

* * *

**Heaven's Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

The next thing I remember I'm lying on the same bench in the lobby I waited at years ago. Konori-senpai had left, and Jii-chan was on my right.

"Hi... Jii-chan..." I was barely able to say while trying to sit up straight.

"You overexerted yourself despite the fact that you were without nourishment and getting used to another personality in your psyche. That's pretty dangerous my reckless little grandson."

"I'm... here aren't I..." I coughed out as a joke.

"That's all I expect. I have a present for you." I felt my eyes light up as he revealed a blood packet from his jacket.

I immediately snatched and sunk my teeth into it, letting the thick red liquid flow down my throat. It tasted as metallic as a bunch of quarters. The unpleasant taste was easily ignored because I instantly felt better as the last drops left the package. Any dull aches and pains I had vanished while my weariness ebbed away.

"Thank you so much! I was starving! Where did you get it though? I thought the inspectors took them all."

"One of the paramedics had an extra, so I asked for it since it wasn't necessary for the operation."

"It was a life saver. I'd tell you to give the paramedic my thanks, but then he'd wonder what you used the pack for."

"That's true. So about this other personality of yours, have you come to terms with it?"

"_The geezer still doesn't trust me! Ungrateful bast-"_

"Hold on Kraft, he doesn't know that we've had our bonding time. Want to talk to him to prove that you turned over a leaf?"

"_No!"_

"He's feeling bashful right now."

"_Am not!"_

"You are. Anyway, I know I can say that there won't be too many problems between us from now on. With any luck it'll be beneficial, he's probably a better fighter than me."

"_Damn straight."_

"Now you're sounding like Dad. You still need some help with controlling your impulses."

"_Hey!"_

"You do though. We're getting along pretty well now, so you don't have to worry anymore."

"That's certainly good news, but I'll to bring some bad news as well."

"What is it?" I asked, my eyes widening. Don't tell the blood packets aren't coming tomorrow morning!

"You haven't finished your homework, and it's 11:30."

"Oh, right." With everything that happened today I completely forgot about something as normal and mundane as homework.

"_Nooooooooooooooooooo!"_ cried Kraft at the thought of mind-numbing homework.

"I'll get it done." I said, ignoring my other personality's screaming. "Good night, Jii-chan."

"Good night, Sieg."

I took my backpack from the corner where I left it I headed upstairs to my room. Once I was there I pulled out my books and began to work. After a half hour of it Kraft broke the silence.

"_Do you have to do this? It's just school!"_ my other personality cried.

"Sorry Kraft, but Jii-chan will kill me if I fall behind in any way."

He sighed,_ "Fine, do what you want. I'm going to sleep."_

"Good night, little brother."

"_Wait, little brother?"_

"Well, you're a fragment of my personality, so you're related to me. You said earlier that you're a kid and younger than me. Put them together and you're my little brother in a sense."

He paused as if to think about it,_ "Call me whatever you want, just don't expect me to call you onii-san."_

"I wouldn't dream of it." He then went quiet again.

I finished around one o' clock in the morning. Despite being a normal middle school Sakugawa sure gives a lot of work. There wasn't much point in visiting Ina at this hour, so I just went to the bathroom to clean up. Afterward there was nothing left to do but lie on my bed and wait for sleep. The stars weren't shining too brightly tonight since they were hiding amongst a sea of clouds. The night sky was visible through little holes in the clouds, and it was a deep navy blue.

In spite of the tranquil quiet of the night, I couldn't help but feel unnerved by... something. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I had a feeling that something big was about to happen, and it wasn't going to be a cakewalk to deal with like the minor robberies over the past few days. Dismissing my musings as paranoia I let my eyes close as I let oblivion sweep over me.

I would later find out that it wasn't just a feeling.

* * *

I'm back guys from what turned into a four-day vacation in upstate New York. To be honest, I didn't know the hotels my parents arranged for us (my brothers and I) had free wi-fi, so I ended being away from writing for no apparent reason. A funny thing that happened was the fact that I ate a burger at Fort Ticonderoga called "The Blackwatch" get it? Still, it was plenty of fun, though I really missed the keyboard and thus I rushed this chapter ASAP.

How did you like Kraft? To be honest, I planned his introduction from the start, I just wasn't sure how to do it. I initially started writing this chapter to show Sieg fighting his natural urges, though it sort of took a personality of its own as I found the perfect opportunity to introduce Kraft.

The action will start to pick up again in the upcoming chapters as we enter the rising action for the Level Upper arc. Keep in mind that Sieg (and Kraft) won't be there to help with every major event, so it's likely that I'll be branching off into a lot of original material.

Thanks for reading guys. I'll once again ask you to favorite it if you enjoyed this story, and post a review whether you liked it or not. They're what help my story improve and I really hope to see more of them. Please stay tuned for more.


	9. Chapter 9: The Intermission

Disclaimer: I do not own the To Aru or Prototype series. All characters aside from my own original characters

* * *

**In My Mindscape**

* * *

I ended up being woken up by my dad about an hour later, his back turned to me as usual.

"Evening Dad. What is it this time?"

"I came to talk about the other you."

"Oh, you mean Kraft."

He gave me a look, "Kraft? Like the food company?"

"Yeah, I named him that so I wouldn't have to call him "the voice" all the time."

My dad pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, "You need to learn how to give people normal names."

"Not you too!" My ability to give names isn't that bad is it?

"That's besides the point. He's been a fucking annoying pest all day. I could barely catch a wink of sleep with his constant screaming."

"I guess he is a bit loud."

"A bit? Have you been listening to him at all?!"

"Of course! He was me driving crazy until he finally calmed down after my fight today!"

"You can say that again. I can tell you what he is though."

"I thought he was a splintered fraction of my personality."

"You're halfway there. He's the personification of your natural desires and functions as the Blacklight Virus, including your battle instincts."

My battle instincts? "So you're saying with him around, I'm weaker."

"You're more likely to get your ass handed to you if you're not careful."

"That's... what I just said." He didn't have to say it like a drill sergeant would.

"It's the realistic version, kid."

"Hey, that doesn't mean I can't hold my own in a fight."

"If you couldn't I'd start beating the crap out of you right now to fix that."

"That's harsh, but it's good to see that you're back to your old self Dad. You being all fuzzy is kind of weird."

"I'm just giving you advice. Like I said, what I did earlier was a one time thing, it won't happen again."

"That's what they all say. Just watch I'll do something to impress you and the great Alex Mercer will turn all soft on me again!"

"I'd like to see that happen. Beat me in a fight and I'll give you all the praise you want." he scoffed at me in mocking disbelief.

"You better remember your words Dad!"

"Just don't get yourself killed kid."

"You can trust me, I'm pretty tough to beat you know."

"That's what they all say before they're utterly fucked in a fight."

"Nice retort, but cruel."

"I'm a mass murdering sociopath who eats people to survive. This shouldn't be a surprise to you."

"I know, but it was still kind of uncalled for."

"Get used to it. You're not as much of a brat as you used to be, so act like it so I don't have to treat you like one."

"Of course, Dad." Sometimes he can be a real grouch and for lack of a better word, a jerkass.

"It's morning, so get up." He was about to walk away but turned around one more time, "Remember to tell that other kid to shut the fuck up. He's blowing out my eardrums."

I let out a short laugh, "I will, love you too Dad."

He shook his head in disgust as my vision became flooded with light.

* * *

**My Room – Heaven's Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

I woke up at my usual time to the sound of my alarm clock, though my dad works as a pretty good alarm clock too. I started going through my routine as with every other day, but at a quicker pace than usual since I wasn't sure if the health inspectors would come back.

Being impatient and nervous I took the shortcut by teleporting downstairs, which to my relief was devoid of people aside from Jii-chan.

"The inspectors aren't here today, thank goodness." I breathed a sigh of relief at the fact and began walking over to the fridge.

"Good morning." he said, his eyes not averting from the papers he was going through.

I cheered when I opened the fridge to see it full of packets. I'm never taking them for granted again.

"They came in at three o'clock, I ordered quite a shipment to replace the lost ones."

"You've been up that long?" I asked as I sunk my teeth into one a packet and starting pouring the contents of another two into a thermos.

"I do get emergency calls now and then. You sent quite a few people here yesterday."

"Sorry about that. According to them, I've been getting a pretty fearsome reputation..."

"So I've heard. Some of the delinquents that you and your other personality subdued shuddered in terror when I told them you lived here."

"At least you have a way of keeping them quiet!" He cracked a small smile at that one.

"Yes, yes. Hurry it along, it's 7:20. If you don't get moving soon you'll miss the train."

I grabbed another packet to drink on my way out, "Okay then, I'm off!"

"Enjoy your day at school!"

* * *

**Class 7-A – Sakugawa Middle School**

* * *

As usual, school was relatively uneventful. The only thing worth talking about started after lunch during Power Curriculum Class, instructed by that same teacher in a lab coat and glasses who hates my guts for whatever reason.

"AIM diffusion fields are a localized phenomenon created around espers. AIM is an acronym for "An Involuntary Movement". It's a weak force that is involuntarily emitted by ability users around themselves. It cannot be felt with the human senses and without specialized equipment it cannot be detected at all. However, research into applications of this field has made remarkable progress as of late..." he droned on in his usual monotone voice.

I then heard a familiar yawning, and considering the fact that it wasn't from Saten or any of my other classmates only one person could be doing that at the moment.

"Good morning, Kraft. You're up awfully late." I whispered to my other self.

"_Morning Sieg." _he stopped yawning as he realized where we were. _"You're in school again!"_

"Yup. I come here five days a week."

"_Ugh, you can't be serious."_

"Sorry, though it's nice to know that you remembered my name."

"_I'd be stupid if I couldn't remember the name of my onii-s-" _he caught himself and stopped.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you're treating me like one. I thought you said you wouldn't call me onii-san though." It's pretty fun teasing my new little brother of sorts since he's so easy to bother.

Kraft began grumbling unintelligibly in response.

I then felt a poking on my arm from Saten with her pen.

"Hey guys. Do you want to go shopping at the Seventh Mist again after school?" she whispered.

"Yeah," replied Uiharu with a smile before it fell again, "but I have Judgment work to do."

"Same here, the work hours are relentless."

"Come on, you two. You can blow it off just a little bit. Just say you're on patrol or something."

Uiharu began waving her lead pencil around, "I can't do that this time, though... with these attacks being what they are."

She was referring to the "Mad Bomber" attacks that have been occurring recently. Someone with a power related to gravitons has been using aluminum hidden inside bags and dolls to target seemingly random locations with catastrophic explosions at a Level 4 on the Level Ranking system. Even with Anti-Skill's help, law enforcement is stumped since the only possible person with that power was in a coma at the time of all of the attacks. It has been made a priority in terms of issues to resolve for both Anti-Skill and Judgment.

"I see..." Saten looked rather upset and bored.

"I'm on patrol a lot, so I could spare an hour or so." I said in attempt to perk her up a bit.

"That's great, thanks Sieg!" I think it worked pretty well.

"Just try to keep it short, and don't buy too much!"

"Alright, alright..." Though I don't think she'll be keeping her word any time soon.

"_You so have a crush on her." _insinuated Kraft.

"I-I don't have a..." I sighed, "Yes, I have a crush on Saten."

"_Then just tell her! I may not be that old but I have enough common sense to know that she'll never know if you don't tell her!"_

"I know but..."

"Who are you talking to Sieg?"

"Oh, uh no one! J-just thinking aloud! N-nothing suspicious or strange!"

"Okay.. If Uiharu isn't coming I'd rather do it tomorrow though." the teacher began turning toward us. "We'll talk after school." I nodded silently in response.

"Mercer, since you seem awfully chatty today would you like to explain the Poltergeist phenomenon?"

I racked my brain quickly for the answer, having studied it the night before. At this point I did absolutely nothing to hide my disdain for him, since he keeps trying to put me on the spot the way a sadist would.

"Alright then. Recurrent Spontaneous PsychoKinesis Syndrome, or RSPK Syndrome, is referred to as the Poltergeist phenomenon. It is believed that the phenomenon is caused when ability users cannot properly perceive reality due to stress or trauma. RSPK Syndrome often leads to an effect similar to poltergeists of lore, for example the sudden and unexplainable levitation of objects. In large-scale occurrences it can lead to medium class earthquakes. If you are unsatisfied with my answer I can explain in further length and in a dozen other languages or argue over it at the doctorate level if you'd prefer."

My classmates barely contained their laughter at my mouthing off of the teacher. Speaking of which, the teacher's ticked face was priceless to watch as he struggled to maintain his stoic expression.

"Very well, but your tongue in cheek comment was not necessary."

I wanted to say, "Believe me, it was necessary." but I kept my trap shut to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"_That was great! Though I really wish you followed through with it. That teacher makes things that already fucking boring into freaking torture."_

"I'll hold my tongue if it means staying out of trouble. The same goes for you."

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. The teacher beckoned me over, probably to give me a stern talking to.

"Mercer, I don't appreciate your behavior. Your grades may be excellent, but I will not tolerate your cheekiness in my class, got it?" he seemed to have a triumphant smirk as if he thought that his authority as a teacher would be enough to control me.

"Sir, will all due respect (not really) you've been antagonizing me for no apparent reason since the day I transferred in. I believe respect to be a two-way street. I will begin showing respect once you do the same."

"Now see here!"

"See you tomorrow."

I then left the slack jawed teacher with a hidden smile on my face.

* * *

**Courtyard – Sakugawa Middle School**

* * *

"So, what are you going to do now Sieg?" asked Saten as we walked into the courtyard.

"Well, I first have to report to the Judgment office for duty's sake."

"Then what?"

"I'll probably go on a patrol, fill out some paperwork, and a lot of other stuff. Unless I come across something I'm usually done for the day."

"Judgment doesn't sound like much fun at all."

"I guess it isn't, but one the main reasons I joined it is because I'm a trouble magnet. At least in Judgment I have an excuse to be able to go help people and end the conflicts I get caught up in."

"I see, so like we said earlier do you want to hang out while you're on patrol?"

"That's a bit dangerous, I tend to wander into bad situations all too often."

"Don't be such a worrywart! Nothing bad will happen!"

"If you say so." I still was somewhat against the idea, but nothing short of knocking her out cold was going to change her mind.

"_Why don't you just say no to her?"_

"Even if I did she'd probably still tail me anyway."

"You've been talking to yourself all day Sieg, what's going on?"

"Well, I uh..." What do I tell her? That my personality has been fractured and is now a sentient being in my head?

"You don't need to keep secrets! We're friends aren't we? What are you muttering about?" She stuck her face uncomfortably close to mine to make a point.

"I was just remembering lines from a novel I read. Some of the scenes were really romantic." I heard myself say, but the words weren't my own.

"Oh, alright. Maybe you could show it to me some time."

"Yeah, maybe I will."

"Now get going! The sooner you finish the sooner we can hang out!" she slapped me on the back to get me moving.

"I'll see you later Saten!" I replied quickly before dashing away towards the Judgment office.

When I was out of sight and in an alleyway I finally managed to breathe after that close call.

"That was close..."

"_I can't believe you. You can stare down your dad and that freaking evil teacher no problem, but you freeze up in front of that girl once she starts asking questions. Here I thought you were the creative one."_

I cracked a smile at that, "I don't really understand that part of me either. Thanks for the save, Kraft."

"_You better thank me! If I didn't step in you probably would have been found out!"_

"I know. It's weird how I can lie to everyone else so easily, but in front of my friends I just can't anymore."

"_Obviously! What are you going to do without me you big softie!"_

"Not much I guess. Tell you what, if I come across some crooks I'll let you go to town on them."

"_You mean it?"_ he sounded particularly happy at the prospect.

"Yup, as long as you keep bone breaking and organ failure to a minimum."

"_I'll be gentle..." _he murmured rather deviously. I wonder if I said the right thing.

* * *

**Judgment 177th Branch Office**

* * *

I walked into the office to see Uiharu typing away as usual, Kuroko peering over the flower girl's shoulder. Konori-senpai was absent, probably away at some meeting or something.

"Oh brother!" exclaimed Kuroko as she rested her chin on Uiharu's headband, "If only we had a little more to go on."

"Yeah, all we know is that it's a Level 4 or higher esper." my classmate agreed.

"Hmmm, but nobody in the database matches. Could it an esper who had a dramatic power increase recently over a short time?"

"No way. It isn't possible for someone to gain that much power over such a short period."

"I suppose you're right. Something like that would be impossible."

"Let's just be patient and go over the facts again."

"Absolutely!"

"Are you sure that's impossible?" I asked, to which the pair turned around.

"Are you saying there is a way of raising your power rapidly?" asked the always skeptic Kuroko.

"You two go on the urban legends website often right?" Kuroko turned her head, but Uiharu nodded.

"I'm pretty sure there was something posted called the Level Upper, which is said to be able to raise your level instantly."

"Do you really think something as ridiculous as that exists?"

"Maybe not, but the Stripping Woman was real to an extent, at least according to Misaka-san. So there has to have some sort of truth on which it was based on right? Plus, the friends of a bunch of people that got sent to the hospital I live at claim that they took the stuff."

"So what are you saying we should do?"

"I'm just saying we should keep our minds open and look for all of the options. There has to be other people with the ability to create those explosions right? Even if their level is too low you never know if someone discovered such an item. After all, it'd be scandalous if something that could potentially eliminate the entire curriculum was to get out."

"I suppose, but we're going to go over the facts again."

"Okay then, I'll be heading out on patrol."

They simply nodded in response as I left the office.

* * *

**Streets of Academy City**

* * *

Kraft started speaking up again as I got out onto the street.

"_Are you really going on patrol, or are you using it as an excuse for a date?"_

"I-it's not a date, we're just hanging out! Just be quiet, Dad says you're too noisy!"

"_You're really going to listen to him?"_

"Well normally I wouldn't but I have to agree with him this time. You're too damn noisy."

"_That's rude!"_

"Says the master of being rude himself."

"_Okay, I admit, I'm loud and rude. That was really mean though!" _He sounded almost sad at that.

"Just behave and I won't bring it up anymore."

"_Jerk. How are you going to find her anyway?"_

"She said she was heading towards the Seventh Mist."

"_That sounds like a girl's clothing store."_

"It is, but I just wanted to keep her from feeling down."

He sighed, "_I really can't understand you __acting like a person.__"_

"Then you'll just have to live with it. On the topic of understanding each other, I don't think I've explained to you my other abilities."

"_Other abilities? Like what? Are you saying you have even gorier powers?!" _He sounds a bit too excited over the topic doesn't he?

"Not quite gory, but fun nonetheless."

"_What is it?" _His excitement deflated a bit, but it was still present.

"Here's my special glove called the Booster. It let's me use my ability of copying the powers of other espers." I held it up at eye level to make sure he could see it.

"_That's fun how?"_ He was starting to sound bored.

"Well, I've copied Misaka's and Kuroko's powers, meaning that I can shoot lightning out of my hands and teleport."

"_That **is** kind of cool!" _At least this entertained him.

"The only real catch is that I can only use one at a time, though aside from only being able to copy up to a Level 4 in power I basically have no limits on it. If I know how the ability works and I see it, I can copy it and its permanent."

"_Can we try it now? I want to see it!"_

"Maybe not the lightning part, but teleporting shouldn't be too harmful."

"_Then do it already!"_

"Hold your horses. I have to put on the glove first."

"_I'm waiting..." _Isn't my little brother the most patient person ever?

"I have it on, so you'll first have to work out the spacial coordinates you're teleporting to-"

"_Skip to the point!"_

"I'll give it to you in layman's terms then. Use math to figure out where you need to go, think about it, and you teleport. Happy?"

"_I will be once you show me instead of giving me a fucking lecture about math."_

"I'm going to have to give you a lecture on manners later. Anyway, I'm going to teleport to the top of that building to my left in order to look for Saten." Teleporting is pretty much the only reason why I made real effort to stay awake in math class. Once I had the calculations down it became a snap to pull off.

I let myself land gently on the floor of the building before checking myself over to make sure I didn't lose a finger or something (not that it would matter much).

"_I have to admit, that was pretty cool. Let's do it again!" _Did I enjoy fighting _that_ much for Kraft to be this excitable?

"I will, as soon as I find Saten."

"_Why do you always call people by their last names anyway?"_

"It's common courtesy here in Japan, just go with it."

"_I'm just saying that it's weird." _Will he ever stop talking?

"_She's an eighth of a mile northwest down 15th Street."_

"Wait, really?" I looked in the direction he indicated to see her walking around the corner.

"Well, what do you know? Thanks Kraft."

"_I'm just telling you so we can teleport again. I bet it's crap loads of fun to use in a fight."_

"Can't argue with that, though you have to be willing to do the math first. Otherwise you might miss and get us stuck in a wall."

"_Hey, I'm not stupid. I may hate learning, but I can pull it off."_

"Okay, just make sure you don't make us lose a limb or something,"

"_Do you have that little faith in me?"_

"You're only a day old, so yes."

"_I hate it when you pull the age card on me."_

"It happens to me too. Anyway, off we go."

I reappeared next to Saten, "I'm here!" I said with a bit of flair.

She jumped, "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, I just saw you walking down the street so I decided to surprise you."

After she got over the shock of my sudden appearance she continued, "You got out more quickly than I thought you would."

"There wasn't any paperwork to do, so I just popped in and out since Chief Konori wasn't there."

"That's great! So where do we go first?"

"You said you wanted to go shopping at the Seventh Mist right?"

"Don't you have anywhere you want to go?"

"Not really, anywhere you want I guess."

"Then the Seventh Mist it is. Come on let's go!" We began our usual dynamic consisting of Saten dragging me down the route she chose to her destination.

"_Are you just trying to make her happy?" _asked Kraft teasingly.

"Yes... and I don't need your commentary here!"

"_That just makes me want to do it some more." _I know I said I find it fun to tease Kraft, though I think he's the one doing most of the teasing.

"Just pipe down alright!"

As we passed the park we heard a certain electromaster calling to us from across the street, "Saten-san! Sieg-san!"

* * *

We ended up sitting down underneath the shade of a few trees, Saten and Misaka sipped tea from a nearby store while I was drinking from a can of bear curry. Academy City vending machines sell the weirdest things. At least it tasted good, but the meat was rather chewy even with superhuman biting power.

"This must be as hard on Uiharu as it is on Kuroko." said Misaka.

"It sounds like it. I invited her to go shopping with me today, but she turned me down. Sieg offered to hang out with me since he was on patrol, but even now I'm not so sure if I should wait until all of this blows over." replied Saten.

"I guess they have no choice until the mad bomber is caught."

The girl I have a crush on sighed, "All of this gives me... an uncomfortable feeling, you know?"

"Eh?"

"Uiharu and Shirai-san are working so hard for Judgment, and Misaka-san, you and Sieg are something else, too. But I'm just like you know..."

Misaka glanced off to the side as if to think about it.

"Oh, uh, sorry! I didn't mean anything significant by it! I just mean, if I had an ability too my day-to-day would change."

"_She's hiding something. I think she wants a power really badly."_

"How can you tell?" I whispered back.

"_Please, I've only been around for one day and I already know all the faces you make when you're trying to keep something secret. She's making all of the same faces. No wonder you like her so much. She's just like you." _I-I is that so...

"_It is."_

Saten let out another sigh, "Aw, if only I had a Level Upper. Then maybe reaching Level 5 would be more than just a dream."

"Level Upper?" asked Misaka.

"It's an urban legend I mentioned before. It's said to be a tool that can easily raise your level for you. I thought that if the Stripping Woman was real, then maybe it could be too. But really, there's probably no such thing right?" She then began laughing the same way I do when I'm nervous. Is she feeling inferior since she doesn't have a power?

"Hey." Saten stopped laughing. "Let's all go together!" said Misaka to our surprise.

"You mean, go shopping together at the mall?" I asked.

"Yeah, it'll be fun! Maybe I'll even bring Kuroko along."

"That sounds great! I think Uiharu's day off is tomorrow. It'll be perfect! What do you think Sieg?"

"As long as you don't make me carry anything embarrassing I'm fine with it." I gave up on the "don't buy too much" part. It's not going to happen.

"Then it's settled. We'll meet at the Seventh Mist tomorrow after school."

Saten got up from her seat, "Well looks like we're done for the day. Do you mind walking me home Sieg?"

"Uh, sure."

"See you later Misaka-san!"

* * *

We ended up walking for a couple of hours, which to my relief was free of Kraft's annoying commentary.

About five blocks from Saten's house I asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to teleport you home?"

"Really, it isn't that far of a walk. Thanks for spending time with me though, I know you're busy and everything."

"I-It's not a problem. Really."

We were stopped by a group of three teenagers dressed like punks wearing ski masks and oddly enough, the earmuffs used by someone at a construction site. They looked about ready to threaten us as they withdrew a bunch of blunt weapons and knives.

"Can we help you?"

I was answered by the same screeching sound from yesterday, only about ten times louder and more intense.

"_That shit again! Where do they have it this time!"_

I was then knocked back by a sudden torrent of water that came out of nowhere, slamming me against the wall.

"Sieg!" I heard Saten yell.

I tried to shock him back, but I found that my attempts at using my electromaster ability were utterly futile, barely producing a spark with my best efforts.

"_The sound is messing with how you process calculations, you'll have to get down and dirty!"_

I was about to get ready to do so, but I was blown back again by a sudden shock wave that erupted from the ground.

"Why can they use their abilities... oh." I then realized what the earmuffs were for, they must block out the sound, thus allowing them use their abilities.

"_So beat the shit out of them!"_

"I'm working on it!" I made another advance, this time dodging the shock waves and water blasts. I then attempted to throw a kick at the water user, only for the leader to put up some kind of barrier, blocking my kick before the shock wave guy blasted me back again.

"This is pissing me off." Dad was right, these guys should have been easy to beat. My combat ability really has dropped.

"_Then let me take over! You promised anyway!"_

"I did didn't I? I'll let you have a go at it." I felt my body go numb again as Kraft took over.

He cracked my knuckles, "Alright fuckers, let's see what you've got."

"_Do you have a plan?"_ I asked questioningly.

"Yeah, charge in and kick their asses."

"_I figured as much."_

"Don't you ever learn kid?" barked the leader as he put up the barrier to repel us once more. "We're invincible with Capacity Down and the Level Upper!

"_Capacity Down, huh? We may have to pull out our Blacklight powers."_

"Heh, I don't care! Just do it then!"

"_Dad's good old Blade and Armor combo coming up!"_

Our right arm twisted and bent into the familiar bone-white sword as the black liquid covered our body and solidified.

"Ready for round two bastards?" asked Kraft as they were freaked out by our ability.

"H-he isn't supposed to be able to do that!" stammered the water user.

"It doesn't matter! As long as we have our abilities we-" he put up the barrier to block us again, only for the Blade to cleave right through it, allowing us to simply send him flying backwards with a hard kick.

The other two panicked, "Get the car out here! We need to get away!"

A van burst from the alleyway behind me and promptly ran me over. "Get the girl! We can use her as insurance!"

"_Get the girl? They don't mean..." _I wondered as Kraft brought my head up, allowing me to watch as the grabbed Saten, stuffed her in the van and sped away.

"Son of a **BITCH!**" I screamed as I slammed my fist on the floor, once again in control of my body.

They were _**not **_getting away and I was going to make sure of that!

"_What are you going to do? Even at our top speed we won't be able to catch up to that car."_

"I'm going to try something crazy Kraft. You might want to hold on to something." I said, getting up as I shook off the pain of being run over and having my body stitch itself back together again in under half a minute.

"_Luckily for the both of us, I like crazy! I'm going to hold onto your dad if you don't mind!"_

As the car sped away, the noise decreased and I could concentrate enough to use my esper abilities again. I let the electricity crackle around me before I directed it backwards, discharging it in a massive burst.

Why would I do this you might ask? Well, oxygen is flammable and potentially _explosive._

I jumped and braced myself as all of the oxygen behind me detonated, launching me like a bullet in the direction of the van. The landscape whizzed past me as I was launched through the air, much to the surprise of any onlookers.

"_This is the best idea you ever had!" _yelled Kraft, clearly enjoying the experience.

Luckily for me, the would be kidnappers didn't bother to turn, confident in having gotten away. They were only a few hundred meters away.

A distance which I closed in about five seconds.

I landed on the roof of the van, the noise once again screeching in my ears. I ignored the bursts of pain in my head as I returned my hand to its human shape, allowing me to stab it through the roof of the vehicle and crumple the metal in my grip. This gave me a solid hold on the speeding automobile, which was trying to throw me off with wild turns, barely avoiding the oncoming traffic. I then turned my left arm into a hammerfist which I then slammed into the hood of the car, crushing the engine and creating a small explosion.

The car skidded out of control and slammed into the side of a building. I jumped off and tore the door to the trunk off its hinges, revealing a speaker set identical to yesterday's which served as the origin to the inhibiting noise. I smashed it to pieces, ending the irritatingly dissonant sound.

"That's better..." I muttered as the pain in my head subsided.

"_That was so much fun! Let's do it again!"_

"Maybe later..." Can I have one day without this much excitement?

I turned as three punks clambered out of the now totaled van and attempted to use their powers on me. To their horror I simply shrugged them off. I barely felt them with my armor in the way.

"Now, what should I do to you?" I asked, extending my blade again to intimidate them.

"Blast him, blast him! Kill him!" One of them yelled, but their abilities bounced off my armor harmlessly. Even the shock wave could now only shift my posture slightly.

"You thought you were badasses with your new powers didn't you? Now look at you, a sniveling lot cowering at the sight of a kid. I would've let you off easily if you only targeted me. But you had to involve my friend in this. Should I really let you live to do this again?" I said with my blade raised.

"I won't do it again, I swear!" cried the one in front, the others nodding in agreement.

It was really tempting to go through with it. A split second and those bastards would be a pile of mincemeat for me to consume. But is it really the right thing to do?

I returned to my default form, saving Saten was more important. Tearing the door off the hinges of the wreckage, I found Saten shaken but otherwise uninjured.

"Are you alright? I think I made the ride rather bumpy."

"That's an understatement, but I'm okay."

"You know, this is why I asked you not to come. For some reason I keep running into robbers like these every day."

"You did save me, so I guess it all works out!" I think the point is for me to not have to save you...

"Besides I should be the one asking if you're okay. You got run over by a car!" she continued with a pout.

"You don't need to worry about that, I'm pretty tough you know." Having a healing factor helps too.

Saten then pointed behind me, "I think they're getting away."

"Not for long." I teleported in front of them before tripping them with a leg sweep.

"Now, you said you used a Level Upper. I'm with Judgment. Do you mind handing it over to me?"

"Now why the hell would I do that?"

"Because then we can possibly make a deal in court to lower your sentence. Unless you'd like to face charges for attempted robbery, attempted kidnapping, and attempted manslaughter dead on with the evidence stacked against you."

"Tch, Level Upper is a song."

"A song?"

"You listen to it and it gives you powers. A friend of mine downloaded it online! That's all I know!" Though I honestly wouldn't mind torturing him for information, he didn't seem to be lying.

"Fine, and you two got your powers from the same song?" The other two nodded.

"Do you happen to have a mP3 of it with you?" They shook their heads.

"I hope you're telling the truth." I then dialed Anti-Skill again.

"A-Anti-Skill. What is your emergency?"

"Hi, this is Sieg Mercer again. A bunch of people attacked me claiming to have used Level Upper. Do you mind picking them up?"

"Y-Yes of course! We'll come to your location as soon as possible!"

"One more thing. According to the people who attacked me Level Upper is not a physical device but a song, possibly a downloaded one. I'd like to request a search for it on the most popular music download sites."

"U-understood!" She then hung up.

"W-wait! Your name is Mercer! With those powers... you're the son of Al-" the leader thug stammered as he started to back away.

"**Y****ou'll shut your trap ****i****f you value your life!**" The last thing I need is my friend finding out about who my father was and what I am.

"Uh, Sieg. What's this about your last name and your dad?" She looked visibly startled by my sudden change in demeanor.

I sighed in exasperation in an attempt to calm down, "I really don't like using my last name _because_ of my father. He was not a nice or a popular person, and I don't want people associating me with him."

He did have the cult of Evolved, but other than that everyone short of Aunt Dana hated his guts even when he was doing good.

"You could tell me." she said with increasing curiosity.

"I'm sorry, but there are some secrets I have to keep Saten."

"Aw come on, how bad could he have been?"

"I... really don't want to talk about it." As you can probably guess, I felt pained at the mention of my father, and it was evident on my face.

"_Your dad isn't that bad. He just tried to destroy humanity, nothing big!"_ Not helping, Kraft.

"If you say so. Still, we're friends. If you need to tell someone I'm here, and I think Uiharu and Misaka would agree."

"Thanks. So, um, do you want to take you home quickly. I got you caught up in this mess so I ought to fix it right?"

"That's alright, you have to watch these guys to keep them from running right?"

"I forgot about that..." The three stooges were about to make another run for it. I finally managed to work out how their abilities worked, so I decided to give them a taste of their own medicine.

I stamped the floor, causing a slightly visible shock wave to knock them back towards me followed by a splash of water from above to pin them down.

Their abilities pretty easy to comprehend if you pay attention in science class. The shock wave ability manipulates air pressure and its movement to create a concussive force powerful enough to tear through rock. The water ability involves the creation of water through refrigeration of the air which is then telekinetically controlled in order to apply it as a shield or physical weapon. If I took it one step further I could probably create razor sharp shards of ice with them.

"Leaving so soon? You still have to be questioned by Anti-Skill."

"Damn it..."

"You did well with your new powers. Though I have to ask you, where did you get this ability jamming equipment?"

"It was given to us by some stuck up lady with glasses, she said as long as we gave the data back to her we could use it."

"I need a name."

"We don't know, we swear!"

"You'd do business with someone whose name you don't even know?"

They shut up afterward. I'm not sure if it's because of their sudden realization of their stupidity or the fact that they knew exactly who I am.

When Anti-Skill arrived I saw the same two officers who greeted me yesterday. The one with glasses cautiously walked over and handcuffed the group, as if she were afraid of them. The one we kicked earlier was in the armored truck already.

The lady with the pony tail walked up to me, "This is a surprise. Didn't I see you yesterday?"

"Uh, yeah. These guys got their hands on the same technology as yesterday too, apparently from some kind of businesswoman wearing glasses."

"That's not a very precise description, we can't go flagging down people just because they're wearing glasses."

"I know... but apparently they don't know anything else about her. Aside from the fact that it's a song, the info I got from these three on Level Upper is just as vague."

"It is a lead, so I think you did a good job. Come on, you and your girlfriend should be getting home it's almost past curfew-jan."

I felt my face flush a bit, "G-girlfriend! W-we're just friends I think."

"_You suck at hiding the fact that you have a crush on her." _Did I mention that I hate having my thoughts read?

"Is that so? You two look like such a perfect couple though, but it's none of my business. You are just kids after all."

"_Sieg and Ruiko sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-" _I could practically imagine him dancing while chanting that annoying playground song.

"I swear if you finish that I'm kicking your ass tonight!" I snarled in a barely audible voice.

"_Touchy aren't we?" _He is so dead.

"_Hey, you don't need to go that far!"_

"Oh, I will... two hundred megavolts of zapping ought to shut you up."

"_Spare me!" _I guess he got a chunk of my survival instinct too.

"Sieg, I'll be heading home now. Do you want to come?" said the girl I have a crush on.

"I guess, I don't want you getting kidnapped again."

"Hey, I'm no damsel in distress!"

"You played the part pretty well though."

"Why you..." It was my turn to be chased as we ran all the way to Saten's home.

As we approached the front door of the apartment complex she lives at Saten was panting and out of breath.

"How... are you... not tired, after all... of that running?"

"As long as I eat enough for breakfast and lunch I don't get tired easily. Maybe you need to start running more laps." I teased. It was pretty unfair of me to do so though. I let her catch her breath before I opened the door to let her inside. However she paused and knelt down on the floor instead.

"Hey, what's this?" Saten picked up a small teddy bear which was left by the front door of the apartment complex.

"Did someone leave it by mistake? Maybe you should just leave it."

Before she could respond the teddy bear suddenly shrunk, as if it were being sucked into a vacuum. It was then that I remembered that the mad bomber had recently gained a propensity for hiding his bombs inside small objects like dolls which then collapsed due to the application of gravitons.

"Saten throw it away now!" She dropped it in surprise as I leaped in the way of the inevitable explosion.

I felt my nerves scream in protest as the searing heat of the explosion blanketed my body. My skin bubbled as fire ran across it, scorching my face, arms, and torso in the process. To add insult to injury, bits of shrapnel entered my chest and neck.

Eventually the feeling passed, though I couldn't open my eyes as they were burned shut by the heat.

"Saten... are you alright?" I coughed out with some difficulty.

"Y-yeah..." I then heard her gasp. With all of these burns I probably looked horrific.

"I've got to call the hospital!"

"D-don't... I'm okay."

"Okay? You're burned all over! How can you say you're okay!"

"Just turn away for a bit... I'll be back to normal soon."

"How can you say that!"

"Just wait..."

Turning my arm into a smaller version of my usual claw, I started feeling for and peeling off all of the burnt skin, tissue, and shrapnel to allow it to heal. It's really hard to do first aid on yourself if you can't see. Even after I peeled the burnt skin off my face my vision was blurry at best, but it eventually refocused. Now that I could see I focused any biomass I could to repairing my clothes and healing any cuts and scrapes I got from the explosion. A few minutes later I was feeling as good as new aside from a little tenderness and tingling here and there.

"See, I told you! My ability even fixes my clothes." Another half-lie, but this one couldn't hurt much.

"Thank goodness... pffft!" She covered her mouth as if to hide a sudden fit of laughter.

"Is something funny?" I don't really understand how someone goes from worried to laughing in the space of three seconds.

"Just... look at your reflection!" She was barely containing it at this point.

As powerful as the explosion was, it apparently had a small effective area as several windows were left intact. I walked over to one before jumping back at what I saw.

"Y-you've got to be kidding me!"

I looked like the picture of health for someone my age, especially one that survived a graviton explosion at point blank range, except for the fact that all of the skin on my arms, torso, and face was a reddish-pink!

"P-pink!" was all I could manage as I stared at myself. Was it that hot that my pigmentation didn't come back correctly?! Some healing factor I have!

"_Pfft! Ahahahaha! You look like a freaking lobster!"_

"Shut up!"

"_Maybe I should start calling you lobster boy!" _This kid is so dead.

"I'm sorry Sieg! Pfft! It's just too funny!" she said before she began laughing along with Kraft.

"Wait, let me take a picture!" She started reaching into her bag.

"What! You'd think I'd let you!"

"Don't be so serious Sieg! We'll be able to laugh about this later on. I'll even show it to Uiharu and everyone!"

"That's the last thing I want you to do in this situation!" This was quite possibly the most humiliating thing to happen to me and Saten was talking about it like it was some sort of happy accident!

She grabbed me and pointed her phone at the two of us, "Say cheese!" Stunned by embarrassment and the fact that Saten was so close to me I couldn't figure out my coordinates fast enough to teleport. The flash went off, sealing my fate.

"Why did you have to that? My attempt at a normal social life is ruined!" I felt like crying in embarrassment. At the very least my predicament hid how badly flushed I was.

"It's not like I'm going to share this to everybody Sieg, only our friends!"

"But you have other friends who could tell it to their friends who could tell it to their friends!" I whined hysterically. I really wished this was just a nightmare, but it was all real. Saten just continued to laugh.

"_You should listen to yourself! This is fucking hilarious!"_

I could only slump over as I remembered Touma's catchphrase. "Fukou da..."

* * *

**Heaven Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

"I'm home." I said as I walked in through the automatic doors. I felt worn out from everything that happened today, hell I've been feeling worn out every day now.

"Oh Sieg..." Jii-chan stared at me, "That's an interesting sunburn you have there."

"It's actually from taking a graviton explosion to the face." I immediately felt sheepish about the subject. Would you want to talk about the event that made you look like cooked seafood?

"You mean you were caught in an explosion caused by the mad bomber?"

"Yeah. I was walking my friend Ruiko home when she found a little teddy bear by the entrance to her apartment building. It turned out to be a bomb and I shielded her from the explosion. When I patched myself up..." I indicated at my now pink face, "This was the result." I said with a sigh.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. They seem like your average first-degree burns. With how fast you heal they should be gone in the morning."

"I hope so." The thought of trying to survive a day of school looking like I was dumped in a pot of boiling water horrified me.

"_The only way to make this situation more funny is if this lasted until tomorrow!"_ He laughed the entire way home and was still laughing.

"Kraft, you do remember what I said earlier right? Now that I have these new powers you're good as dead." I said with a sadistic smile.

He stopped abruptly and gulped,_ "I'm sorry!" _he squeaked in fear.

"I thought so."

"Anyway, I was going to tell you that your friend has started physical therapy today."

That was a real surprise, "What about all of her injuries? There's no way they should have healed that fast."

"I was as surprised as you are, but while she isn't quite healed she is looking much better. She should be resting in her room right now."

"I'll go see her then!"

Jii-chan grabbed by my collar to stop me short, "Have you forgotten about dinner and homework?"

"Oh, right." I walked over to the fridge and pulled out a pair of blood packets to drain.

"_Who is this friend of yours that got you excited enough to forget eating and homework."_

"Well, she's the girl whose life I saved from Accelerator, the ranked first esper. Since our origins are similar I kind of see her as a little sister, though she's more related to Misaka then me."

"_A little sister huh? Is she like me?"_

"Anything but like you."

"_Darn, she sounds boring then."_

"Not quite. I guess she does share your teasing habit."

"_Yeah! A partner in crime! I want to meet her!"_

"Slow down, you will. Homework first."

"_Ugh. I. Hate. School."_

"That's nice, time to get homework done." I teleported upstairs and began walking to my room.

"_Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!" _Kraft growled.

"If you want to make things faster keep your voice at a dull roar rather than your usual screaming."

"_Oh fine... you're no fun."_

"Not everything is about violence and carnage you know."

"_Why can't it be..."_

"Because otherwise society wouldn't exist."

"_Why must there be society..."_

"Because then we would run out of people and there would be no violence or carnage so be quiet!"

He piped down a bit after that, which let me sit down and begin completing my homework in peace. Luckily I haven't gotten much English homework lately, so it was mostly science and math homework. It only took about a half hour to finish it all.

"_Are you done yet..." _he asked for the twentieth time.

"Yes! Would it kill you to learn a little patience?"

"_Finally, and it would kill me to learn a little patience!"_

"Then maybe I should start teaching you."

"_Jerk..."_

"I'm just as excited as you are but calm down. I haven't seen her in a day so I don't know how she's been."

I peered in to make sure she wasn't sleeping. I found her sitting up in bed, gazing out the window. She was less bandaged and otherwise injured looking, but she still didn't look quite alright.

"Hi Ina, Jii-chan told me you were feeling better."

"Indeed, my injuries healed faster than expected. Says Misaka as she wonders how your day was."

"Well, I spent time with Saten-san and your Onee-sama, then I also used the electromaster powers I gained recently to stop some robbers."

"Is that why you're pink? Asks Misaka as she barely hides her laughter at your odd pigmentation."

That struck a nerve, "I actually got it from taking a graviton explosion dead on to protect a friend of mine."

"_So this is her. Why does she look exactly like that electric chick?" _

"Oh, that's because she's Misaka's clone. To be exact Misaka 9980. I just call her Ina since it's weird to call someone by a number."

"_You have got to work on giving normal names." _This again...

"Who are you talking to? Asks Misaka as she questions your sanity."

"Ack! Well, I guess I can tell you. I developed a split personality yesterday after I had to skip lunch. I call him Kraft because he's always going on about violence and brute force."

"Should I declare you mentally incapable as a result of schizophrenia? Asks Misaka as she tries to raise the stakes."

"I was afraid this would happen... Want to talk to her Kraft?"

"_You bet I do! Teasing the hell out of you is going to be so much fun!" _I'm going to regret this aren't I?

I let him take over, though I expected a disaster soon after.

"Sup' I'm Kraft! Sieg gave us some pretty stupid names huh?"

"_That's what you start the conversation with!"_

"Agreed, his ability to give names his very peculiar. Says Misaka as she agrees with you in an attempt to be funny."

"_What is this, pick on me day?!"_

"Oh, lighten up! We're only teasing you!"

"_That's what I'm trying to avoid."_

"He's just being a killjoy. So, what do you like to do?"

"What do I like to do? I do not understand your question. Says Misaka as she tries to comprehend the meaning of your statement."

"You know, hobbies. I like breaking stuff, beating the crap of people, and looking at girls!"

"_So you're a pervert too. Wonderful."_

"It's not like I stalk them or anything! I just look at girls with nice bodies!"

"_That's still being a pervert..."_

"It's part of being a boy! Don't tell me you've never done it."

"_On purpose, nope."_

"So you have done it!"

"_Only by accident."_

"You still did it! So you have no right to talk!"

"_I can't understand your logic process."_

"Your argument seems pointless. Interjects Misaka as she attempts to end the feud."

I took back control, "You're right. Sorry you had to see that Ina. Kraft is most of my weirdness personified."

"_I'm not weird!"_

"A morbid, sadistic kid with a mouth that would make Samuel L. Jackson look like a boy scout isn't weird. Right."

"_It isn't! Lots of people are like that nowadays!"_

"That's a bad thing."

"_Only in your opinion!"_

"It's also the opinion of every law abiding citizen!"

"Do you enjoy talking to your other personality? Asks Misaka as she questions why you continue to talk to him."

You know, I never stopped to think about the question before.

"To be honest, outside of the annoying commentary, awful teasing, and uncomfortable situations he creates, it's nice to be able to talk to someone without having to hide anything. Aside from Jii-chan and you, Kraft is the only one I can do that with on a regular basis."

"_So you do like having me around!"_

"Yes I do. Happy?"

"_Very!" _he said smugly.

"Now you know what I've been doing since yesterday. What about you Ina, how have you been doing?"

"I've been focusing on returning myself to full operational capacity. Says Misaka as she answers your question."

"Would you like being more specific?"

"I engaged in basic physical therapy including weight training, aerobic exercise, and muscle coordination exercises. Says Misaka as she attempts to answer in a more concise manner."

"_I would die if shit like that were the only things I was allowed to do."_

"Um, anything else? That sounds awfully boring, even Kraft agrees."

"It is monotonous, but necessary in order to ensure a complete recovery. Says Misaka as she attempts to reassure you."

"If that's the case. Oh right, I forgot about the fruit tart I got you a couple of days ago." I teleported downstairs and got retrieved the bag from the fridge and a spoon from the pantry before teleporting back upstairs.

"I got this for you as a present, but you got attacked by Accelerator when you ran off. I can feed it to you if you like." I pulled out the tart, which still looked as fresh and ornate as the day I got it.

"I would like that. Says Misaka as she attempts to hide her saliva caused by her gaze upon the delicious looking pastry."

"That's a weird way of saying yes, but alright." I cut into the tart with the spoon and scooped out a piece.

"Um, open wide." Ina gladly did so and let the spoon enter her mouth, which she promptly closed. It took a bit of effort for me to pull the spoon out, she chewed on the tart with the same blank expression as usual before stopping, her eyes widening.

"Is something wrong?" I hope it didn't spoil or something.

She then took the tart and spoon from my hands and started scarfing it down ravenously, giving me a thumbs up as she finished.

"The crust is flaky and thin, but made with many layers by hand, the work of a true craftsman. The fruit is definitely fresh, and leaves a refreshingly sweet aftertaste that is not overbearing. The cream and frosting were made with whole milk and beat so it remained light and airy without weighing down the pastry or eclipsing the taste of the fruit. Overall a very tasty treat. Thank you for getting it for me. Says Misaka as she explains the deliciousness of what she just ate in detail before giving her thanks."

"You're welcome?" I never heard someone give such a detailed description of a plain old fruit tart before. Was it that good?

Ina's face appeared as blank as usual, but it looked really cute with the remnants of the tart clinging to it.

I took a tissue from the nightstand and started cleaning the bits off her face. Leaving pieces would attract bugs after all. She barely moved at all so it was pretty easy.

"I guess you enjoy sweets." She nodded affirmatively in response.

"They're definitely better than the taste of blood, that's for sure."

"Why do you need to drink it? Are there any alternatives? Asks Misaka as she questions your odd diet."

"Well, I told you that I'm not exactly human. My options are eat other still-living beings like people or animals or drink blood. Since I have a distaste for killing innocent people and there aren't that many animals around here I chose the second option."

"I understand. Says Misaka to show her comprehension of the question."

"_I __think__ it__'s__ the pussy's way of living. You don't hunt anything!"_

"I don't want to have to hunt anything Kraft."

"_Damn vegetarian."_

"Yeah, yeah, get over it. Unless Blackwatch breaks the deal first I'm not eating anyone."

"Did you purchase anything for yourself? Asks Misaka as she stares at the bag of pastries."

"I did buy a strawberry crostata. I might as well try it now."

I took out the small pie. It was a neat looking thing, with plenty of chunky filling in the middle and neatly folded edges that converged on top of each other. It smelled like a jar of strawberry preserves, and despite being a few days old the scent was still quite strong.

"_Just eat it already! This isn't a cooking manga!"_

"I was getting to that. Itadakimasu." I said respectfully. I didn't bother doing it when I drank blood since it was more like medicine than actual food. I then took a bite out of it, and was blown away by the taste. With the syrupy and sugary filling you'd expect it to be super sweet and sticky, but it wasn't. It instead felt really smooth, and had a bit of tartness which kept the natural sweetness of the dish from being overwhelming. The crusty felt flaky and light before it simply melted into the filling and vanished, providing additional substance that just oozed down your throat. I ended up finishing it off as quickly as Ina did and started licking the remains of it off my fingers.

"That was the fastest I've ever eaten something, and it was tasty!"

"_It does taste a lot better than blood and people. But the food porn level description wasn't necessary!"_

"Sorry, I got caught up in the moment. Though I'm glad you found it tastier than people. Unfortunately, we probably won't be getting it again since you can only buy this stuff at the Garden of learning, which is for girls only."

"_You can disguise yourself can't you?"_

"I can, but even with that and my teleportation ability dodging over two thousand cameras is hard."

"Do you think I can ask Onee-sama to get us some? Asks Misaka as she attempts to get more."

"Um, I haven't exactly told her that you exist yet. I can try to sneak in on the weekend, but it's going to be tough.

"That response will suffice. Says Misaka as she secretly wishes for more sweets."

"This is an entertaining midnight snack session, but it's late you two." said Jii-chan as he leaned against the door frame.

"Well, three if you count Kraft." I added.

"Regardless, it's time for you children to go to bed. It is a school day tomorrow after all."

"_Yes, I'm recognized around here!"_

"Okay. I guess this is goodbye for now. Good night, Ina."

"Good night. Says Misaka as she reluctantly says goodbye." She looked rather down at the thought.

"It's not like I'll be gone forever, I'll come back whenever I can." I then remembered that I was going shopping with everyone tomorrow.

"One more thing, do you want anything from the mall? I can try to get it if you want it."

"I have never been shopping, so I would not know what to get. I am content with the things you have provided for me. Says Misaka as she politely refuses your offer while secretly yearning for another gift."

"Um, I'll look around okay?" I wonder if I'm spoiling her.

I then left to get cleaned up in preparation to go to bed. However, as I was about to enter my room Jii-chan was standing in the way.

"There's something we need to talk about Sieg."

"Anything Jii-chan. What is it?"

"You're getting older. While I've never heard of a viral organism hitting puberty, but I assume you've started bearing more romantic feelings for other people correct?"

"H-how did you know!" Did I make it that obvious?

"_The geezer is sharper than he looks!"_

"I've taken care of you since you were six, Sieg. I can tell when something is on your mind. Who do you have feelings for?"

"W-well it's my classmate, Saten Ruiko. She became my first friend at school and one of my only ones since. She's all energetic and spunky, and I kind of like her for that."

"I see. I'm talking to you about this as it's important that you be careful who you pick your relationships with, especially with the nature of your existence."

"I know... it's part of the reason why I haven't told her yet. I don't want to scare her by telling her the truth or worse drag her into the mess that I cause just by living."

"As long as you understand. I know it's probably hard for you, but it's not something I can sort out, only you can do that.

"Yes... I'm also wondering how long I can keep this up."

"Are you saying that you're dissatisfied with something?"

"No, not at all. It's just that I know that eventually my past will catch up to me. It's terrifying to know that my secret could cause the people I care about to be hurt, killed, or worse. It's just as scary to think of my friends' reactions should they find out what kind of monster I am. I don't want to be alone anymore."

Jii-chan only smiled before ruffling my hair as he always did. "We've gone over this several times. I'll be here for you until the day I die. You're my dear grandson, not a monster. Don't you ever forget that."

"Thanks Jii-chan." There's no one in the world that I'd want more than him as my guardian.

"Anyway, off to bed you go."

"I'm not that much of a child anymore, of course I'm going!"

"You'll always be one to me."

"You don't need to be so patronizing though!"

"Of course I do, I'm your grandfather!"

"_This is disgustingly cute and all but can we go to sleep now!"_

"I get it, I get it!"

"Is your other self acting up?"

"Kraft is getting cranky, we'll need to go to sleep soon."

He let out a short laugh, "Good night, Sieg."

"Good night, Jii-chan!" He then turned and walked back down the hallway.

I ended up just walking over to my bed and lying down on it so I could look at the stars again. Even with blood packets today was tiring as hell. To think that a bunch of people with an esper ability canceler would be able to hold me off for so long. It's the kind of thing that makes me think. Am I getting weaker or is the world around me getting stronger?

"_Don't worry about it! You earned two new abilities off those cocky bastards. You said yourself that you took down the strongest esper in the city! What's there to be scared of?"_

"A lot of things. Getting discovered, screwing up my grades, pissing off the scary women of this city and more on the laundry list of idiotic mistakes we can pull off together."

"_We're reckless, not stupid. Have some self-confidence! You're my original, act like it!"_

"Wow, I never thought I'd hear encouraging words from you."

"_Hey, if you go so do I. I have to keep you going somehow!"_

"Still, thanks. I may not be popular but it's nice to know that I have people in my life that care about me."

"_Duh, you'd be blind not to notice them. Relax, you've got it covered. As long as you don't get your ass kicked we'll be fine."_

"You're also saying that if I do I can tag you in right?"

"_How else am I going to keep you from getting us killed!"_

"Well, I'd like eyes in the back of my head. Your ability to tune in and spot things faster than I can would help a lot in a fight."

"_Eyes in the back of your head..."_

"Not literally!" I swear to god if he planned on somehow mutating me...

"_It's just a thought."_

I felt a yawn coming on, "I think that's it for the night. See you tomorrow, Kraft." I let my eyes close again,

"_Good night, on-, oni-," _He was trying really hard. It's adorable.

Finally he managed to say it._ "Good night, Onii-san."_

I let myself smile at that before drifting off to dreamland like almost every other night.

* * *

Sorry this took so long. I was conflicted on how I should let the plot move forward as well as the dialogue. Summer homework is also a factor in my slow update speed. Anyway, another chapter that's mostly for laughs. I've been leaning towards that since I don't like having my stories too dark unless I specifically want it that way. I've been talking with my cousin lately (who also happens to write fanfiction) and he expressed concerns that Sieg is turning into the kind of an invincible hero/Marty Stu that makes a story boring. I'd like to hear your opinion on it guys.

That's it for now guys. I'm sure you know the routine by now. If you have the time please review if you have anything constructive or helpful to my story. Favorite if you enjoyed it. Otherwise thanks for reading and see you next time!


	10. Chapter 10 - The Last Bombing

Disclaimer: I don't own the To Aru or the Prototype series. All characters aside from my own original characters belong to their respective owners.

* * *

**In my Mindscape**

* * *

I woke up again a while later expecting my dad. To my surprise, he was absent.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" I called out as I sat up.

I was quickly answered by an attempt to grapple me from behind, which I responded to by throwing my would-be assailant to the ground before pinning him in a hammerlock.

"Damn it!" he muttered in a voice which I quickly realized was the same as mine. As I looked at him I realized he looked exactly the same as me right down to the clothes I was wearing before I went to sleep.

"The first time we meet face to face and this is what you do Kraft. What happened to respecting your elders?"

"B-but you said you were going to kill me!" he blubbered in a crying tone unusual for him.

"Oh come on, it was a figure of speech. Did you really think I'd actually kill you?"

"Yes?" Okay, so he's gullible. I'll make a note of that.

"I... don't know where to start with this. Up to this point you've been a dirty mouthed trash talker who took orders from no one. What's with the sudden change?"

"When you told me you'd kill me I got fucking scared alright!" At least the dirty mouthed part didn't change. Looks like it's time for a bit of a lecture. I let him sit up before I continued.

"Id-i-OT!" I told him, flicking him between the eyes.

"What the hell was that for!"

"Let's get something straight here. First, I would never hurt you without a good reason for it. Second, you're a voice in my head. I don't even know if I _can_ kill you. Third, why are you on the verge of crying?"

"I told you, I got scared! You're afraid of dying aren't you?" A big question, at least I know the answer to this one.

"Nope! Not one bit."

"Huh? How could you not be!"

"Put it this way. My life could have been a lot worse than it is now if I never came to this city and met Jii-chan. If I didn't, I would've never have met Saten, Uiharu, Misaka, or even Kuroko. I also wouldn't have met you. I've led a great life so far, and you've had a lot of fun in the past two days right? So cheer up!"

"You're awfully casual about this."

"Hey, you're the one who told me to relax. Like you said earlier, I beat the strongest esper in the city. I can take a freaking explosion to the face. We're almost indestructible as long as we keep our wits about us. Just back me up when we're in a fight and we'll be golden."

"If you're not scared of dying, what are you scared of?"

"You really like asking big questions don't you? Since you're my little brother that's okay. I think I mentioned this earlier. I think my biggest fear is to see the people I care about get hurt. My life would be a lot crappier without them, so I can't bear to just watch if I can do something about it. I guess I got my penchant for helping people from Jii-chan too. After all, would you save a helpless monster lying on the street after he killed a dozen men?"

"No! What kind of question is that... oh."

"Yup, that's exactly how I met him. Being shot full of lead really hurts, though I think I'm slowly becoming bulletproof. Anyway, my point is that there is nothing to be scared of except fear itself. Just live every day the way you want it and it'll all be fine in the end."

"Thanks, you really are a great big-" he was cut off as I was overcome by a sudden burst of laughter.

"Pfft! Ahahahaha!"

"What the hell!"

"I'm sorry, Kraft. It's just too funny how quickly we swap roles. Just before I went to sleep you were the one giving me encouragement, and here I am doing the same for you."

"Yet you're the one who called me weird."

"I admit, I'm not quite normal either, but I can at least pass for being asocial rather than destructive. Now, what were you going to say?"

"Whatever, I take it back!"

So much for bonding, "Fine, there's still the matter of your punishment to take care of."

"Punishment? What the hell did I do wrong?"

"Simple, you tried to grapple me in here. That's direct violence, I'll need to address that."

"But we do it to other people all the time! Punishing me for something like that is bullshit!" he protested. The tears that remained at the edges of his eyes made him look adorable. Maybe I should try that some time.

"Like I said my body, my rules."

"J-just make it quick alright!" He shut his eyes as he braced himself for whatever terrible form of retribution I was about to inflict on him.

I'm not that mean though.

I knocked him lightly on the head with the side of my fist. "Bad boy."

He opened his eyes and blinked in surprise at my response. "T-that's it?! That's my punishment?"

"Come now, who do you take me for? You're not even three days old. I couldn't possibly expect you to know right from wrong yet, thus it would be unfair to penalize you heavily."

I patted him on the head, "Besides, you were acting like a really cute younger brother back there."

I smiled as I got the response I wanted, "Don't screw with me, you bastard! I am not cute!"

"That's the Kraft I know! Better?"

"Better? You're the fucking worst!" he growled angrily with clenched fists.

"It's the older brother's job to tease the younger brother. Or at least an eye for an eye!"

"Who the hell said that!"

"I did!" Like I said earlier, it's fun to tease Kraft.

"Son of a bi-"

I knocked him on the head again a little harder than last time, "Language! If I get scorned when I do it then so will you!"

"Then why did you let me do it when I was talking to you earlier?!"

"Because no one can hear you when I'm outside. Besides, it'd be annoying to tell you to stop since you probably wouldn't anyway."

He grinned, "No, I wouldn't."

"I rest my case."

"What with the damn racket?" mumbled a guttural voice I instantly recognized as my father's. He seemed to appear from nothing, a scowl transfixed upon his face.

"Hi Dad, just having a heart-to-heart with Kraft here." I answered, grabbing my little brother playfully.

"Great, now I have _two_ brats to deal with."

"Aren't you lucky?" asked Kraft, getting in on the fun. We both smiled as our father's eyes glowed red and attempted to burn holes through us. I'll be honest, with the look he was giving us I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly developed heat vision.

"Don't make me kick your asses until you be quiet."

"You don't need to be scared of him." I told Kraft, "He's like you, acting all mean and scary before eventually showing his good side."

Kraft raised an eyebrow, "This grouch has a good side? After you landed you landed on the van he threw me off like a piece of crap!"

I let that cuss slide, "He did that when I was younger too. I told you, he's really bad at showing affection."

"I'll show you how affectionate I am if you don't get out of here in the next three seconds!"

I heard the faint sound of my alarm clock ringing, "I was just about to leave anyway. See you later, Dad!"

"Just get out of my sight." He then turned to glare at Kraft as everything faded to white.

* * *

**My Room – Heaven Canceler's Hospital**

* * *

"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

The skies outside were clear and it seemed like a perfectly normal and pleasant morning. All I had to do was get ready for school as usual and-

"_Argh! The bastard cut off my arm!"_

Naturally, I paused as Kraft began screaming at the top of his lungs (or he would if he had them, but it's a figure of speech) in pain.

"Uh Kraft, did you pick a fight with Dad?"

"_Shit! He almost got my leg!"_

"I'll take that as a yes. You're losing aren't you?."

"_What does it sound like?!"_

"I can't believe you two are having a fight at seven in the morning, but I can't do anything about him from here. Good luck, Kraft."

"_That's it? You're going to let him murder me?!"_

"Relax, he won't kill you. Though you'll probably be cut almost entirely in half a few times along with some occasional dismemberment. I got used to it by the time I entered fifth grade."

"_Are you kidding me?!"_

"Not at all. Dad, remember to go easy on him. Kraft is great in direct combat but his tactical ability and planning stink at the moment."

"_Whose side are you on?!"_

"Yours mostly. Have fun you two!"

"_God damn it!"_

I tuned out the sounds in my head the best I could as I headed downstairs. Despite my efforts, the din of their not so friendly spar was still enough to give me a headache.

"Good morning, Jii-chan." I said as I walked down the stairs rubbing my temples.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked as I walked over.

"Yeah, Kraft is busy being noisy so he's giving me a bit of a migraine. What are you doing?"

"Just sifting through the usual papers and research reports. You said you're going to be out with your friends today correct?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Just be careful. If the mad bomber realizes you escaped with only minor burns he may try to attack you again."

"I'll keep that in mind. Would you like anything from the mall?" I began slurping a couple of blood packets from the fridge.

"I'm afraid not, but thank you for asking."

"There's got to be something you'd like."

He chuckled, "Maybe a few women's magazines would do."

I frowned, "Jii-chan... don't tell me you have those kinds of fetishes." I know he's was probably playing around, but these little dirty remarks of his were starting to change my perspective of him.

"I'm only joking. You're far too chaste for a boy your age."

"W-well, it's just not decent to think of things like that."

"Too bad, you're not going to enjoy life if you always stick to the social norm like that."

"I break too many of them already just by existing, you know."

"Then it couldn't hurt to break a few more."

"You're a doctor Jii-chan. Isn't it your job to follow the rules?"

"I suppose you're right, but would I have been able to help you then?"

I flinched, "Do you have to pull that on me every time the topic of rules comes up?"

"Why, it's my way of winning arguments. Now, off to school you go."

"See you later Jii-chan."

* * *

**Streets of Academy City**

* * *

The annoying teacher kept off my back today, leaving my time at school peaceful (aside from the fight my dad and little brother were having in my head) and incident free. At this point, the sounds of slashing and screaming had died down so I decided to try and start a conversation on the way to the mall.

"Are you alive Kraft?" I asked as I took a shortcut through an alleyway.

"_Dad... is fucking scary! __It's a freaking miracle he didn't kill me!__"_ He sounded winded, which is both a good and a bad thing. He might be quieter due to lacking energy, but he might also complain more as a result.

"Give him some time, he takes a while to warm up to people. On a side note, it's nice that you've finally accepted the fact that you're my younger brother."

"_Let's not get fuzzy here. I still have to get back at you for leaving me there."_

"I had to go to school Kraft. At least you got some valuable combat experience."

"_Combat experience my ass! You left me to die!" _Somehow I could imagine him sobbing over the incident.

"I wouldn't do that and neither would Dad. He's just showing you his version of affection. See what I meant about him sucking at showing it?"

"_If that's affection I'd hate to see what anger looks like!"_

"I think we can both agree on that." I don't think I've ever pissed off my father that badly, but who knows what he could try when he is in a _really_ sour mood.

"My, my, we meet again little boy." said the voice of a certain arrogant scientist from behind me.

I turned around to see the heterochromatic, rabbit ear wearing lady walking up to me. Her face was brimming with confidence and energy, as if she were ready to present some groundbreaking discovery she made.

"What do you want, Rabbit Ears?" It's not really a nickname, as that's literally what her name (Usamimi) means when translated into English. Whether she changed her name to that or was born with it is another story, one that I don't want to hear about.

"Is that the way you should be speaking to the lady who helped you develop your esper ability?" she told me in her usual condescending manner.

"I suppose I should be grateful, but that look on your face tells me you're looking for something more than gratitude." She is also the lady who tried to control my mind, but I put her in her place before.

"Aren't you a clever one! You are correct, I'm looking for additional data so I may make improvements to the Booster. Since we agreed that you would allow me to collect data every time you earned a new power, I believe our appointment is long overdue."

"You've been stalking me haven't you?" There's no other way she could have found out about that.

Her poised persona cracked, "W-well I needed to make sure we could meet to conduct research!"

"I also recall that our agreement involved a no stalking rule."

"T-then how am I supposed to collect data?" Unfortunately, she had a point. I didn't give her my Judgment cell or my home address, so it's obvious that she would be unable to contact me at all.

"Fine, do you have a phone?"

"Of course not! Then they would be able to track me and-" she stopped as I gave her a questioning look.

"Track you? I believe that another part of our agreement was that you wouldn't delve into anything that could get the both of us in trouble."

"Let's just say that my research and the potential of your ability could shake the very groundwork of this city. It's no surprise that I've made some enemies."

"That doesn't sound good. What is this potential you are talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious? The ability to copy the power of almost any esper could render the entire Power Curriculum Program pointless. I have also theorized that you may be able to tap into the arcane with no ill effects should you watch it happen."

"Do you mean sleight of hand, hocus pocus and what not?"

"No, I am referring to _real_ magic. The ability to create supernatural occurrences without an esper ability... or abilities such as yours." This sounded ridiculous. Then again, I'm a zombie virus with a conscience passing for a human law enforcement officer who also happens to have a split personality. Who am I to complain?

"I'm going to humor you for a bit and say that magic is actually real. Where would I find someone who practices magic?"

"There is an entire society of them, but that's not important right now. We need to collect data immediately so I can immediately begin my research and experimentation!" She hasn't lost any of her pushiness since I the time I met her in the park.

"Then let's make this quick. I'm hanging out with my friends today and I don't plan on being late."

"Agreed, I'd like you to use your water manipulation ability first."

At this point I made it a habit to wear the power-boosting glove at all times in the event of an emergency. I raised my right hand into the air and calculated how cold I needed to refrigerate the air in order to create water. It sounds easy, but you have to take into account the humidity as well as the atmospheric pressure in order to pull it off with minimal effort.

About thirty seconds later an orb of water the size of a basketball appeared in mid-air and I brought it in front of her to let her examine it.

"Is it possible for you to manipulate it quickly?" I nodded as I maneuvered the orb quickly in straight lines before bending and stretching it into different shapes as a demonstration.

"Fascinating, can you turn it into ice?" I considered the possibility earlier but I never actually attempted it. But hey, there's no time like the present after all.

I concentrated harder and focused on lowering the temperature to zero degrees Celsius (or thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit if you prefer) or lower. It was difficult with it being the middle of July after all, but I eventually managed to freeze the orb solid. Getting it to turn into a barrage of ice needles would be even more troublesome, but practice makes perfect.

"Now, use the orb as a target for that shock wave ability you exhibited yesterday." I gently laid the orb down on the floor before concentrating on the air itself this time. I modified the air pressure to create a forceful concentrated wave aimed directly at the orb. I was off target, and it hit a nearby trash can instead, leaving a large dent in it.

"It looks like I still have to work on accuracy and hitting my targets reliably."

"Perhaps, but this is still excellent progress. You still have your Electromaster and teleportation abilities correct?"

"Yes, are they important?"

"Then I have all the data I need to begin constructing a new and improved Booster!" She looked positively ready to explode from excitement.

"So, when do you expect this Booster will be done? It'd be nice to test it to make sure I can actually rely on it."

"I expect that it will take at least a week to complete, but ten days minimum to perfect it."

"That's good. With all of the crazy things I've been encountering a boost in power would be very welcome."

"I do expect a thank you the next time we meet."

"I can agree to that, but I would also appreciate it if you keep the two of us from getting in trouble."

"Point taken, I'll do my best to keep anyone from finding out about my activities."

"Just try not to get anyone killed."

"Who do you take me for, an incompetent?"

"I'm just saying, what you're doing sounds dangerously shady."

"If I couldn't set an example for my apprentice then what kind of scientist would I be?"

"Apprentice? I thought I was your partner in this."

"Meaningless semantics, but I've wasted enough time already. See you around little boy." She then threw down some kind of pellet which exploded, releasing a dense, completely opaque smokescreen. I probably could have chased her with thermal version, but it wasn't worth my time and I was running late as is.

"_So, who was that weird bitch?"_ asked Kraft in his usual eloquent tongue.

"She told me her name is Usamimi, or Rabbit Ears. Despite her looks she seems to be pretty brilliant and helped me find out what my esper ability is."

"_You mean you didn't know you had one before?"_

"Nope. I passed off my normal powers as my esper ability in order to blend in."

"_Do you attract weirdos like that on a regular basis?"_

"I think we're the last ones to being calling other people weird." Come to think of it, everyone I met has their strange personality quirks, so I guess it's true.

"_You're the only weird one."_

"That's subjective!" Though I can't say that it isn't true.

"_Ha! You even admitted it!"_

"Look Kraft, I went easy on you last night because of how young you are. Dad is scary but do you remember who has the power to control electricity around here?"

He gulped, _"Um... sorry!"_

I sighed, "Now I forgot what I was in the middle of doing because of you." I haven't a clue why I've been so scatterbrained lately.

"_You were going to meet with your crush and the rest of your harem at the mall."_

"I don't have a harem! You're starting to sound like Jii-chan."

"_The geezer's right. You really are too innocent! Come on, indulge in your desires for a bit!"_

"Honestly, I don't know if I should even _have_ these desires." I'm a virus after all, it's beyond me as to why I can even feel emotions in the first place.

"_Well you do, so act on them and move on already!"_

"I don't even know why we're still talking about this."

"_You're being boring again..."_

"Oh well, get used to it. Unless something crazy happens I plan on letting this be a completely normal day."

"_Please let something crazy happen. Please let something crazy happen. Please let something crazy happen."_

"You're a real handful you know that?"

"_A handful of fun that keeps your life from being too boring!" _I could imagine him saying this with a goofy smile on his face.

"Yet somehow I've quickly grown to enjoy having you around despite this."

"_It's all thanks to my natural charm!"_

"Keep telling yourself that."

"_Hey!"_

"We've wasted enough time as is Kraft. Let's go meet up with the others."

"_Okay, at least it'll be a shit ton more interesting than us talking to ourselves all day." _Could he speak normally without cussing?

"Tonight I have to work on scrubbing your mouth out. You swear in at least one out of every five sentences."

"_Stop treating me like some shitty brat that needs to be disciplined... Oops."_

"When you learn to speak properly without cursing so frequently I will."

"_I get it Mom! Just get going already, sheesh!"_

I teleported out of the alleyway and landed on top of the building to my right to get a better view of my surroundings.

"The meeting spot should be around here somewhere..." It took me about fifteen seconds to find Saten, Misaka, and Uiharu waiting at the corner.

"Is he coming?" muttered Saten impatiently.

"Maybe he had something sudden to do." noted the Level 5.

"Sieg-san is kind of busy sometimes." said Uiharu.

I didn't realize I was that late, "I'm teleporting in Kraft. Be on your best behavior alright?"

"_Now I really have the urge to pull something."_

I ignored that statement as I landed in front of the trio, "Sorry I'm late!"

"Man, what took you so long?" asked my crush.

"I uh, had an appointment with a teacher about my ability." Not really a lie, but not the whole truth either.

"Which teacher?"

"I um, didn't catch her name. She doesn't work at our school after all."

"_You're a crappy liar you know that?" _At least I've been able to get by for the past six years!

"Don't tell me you're into older women!"

"No! Why would you even think that!" You're the one I have feelings for, damn it!

"Did anyone tell you that you're easy to tease Sieg?"

"My grandfather does it all the time..."

"That reminds me, I got this amazingly funny picture yesterday!"

"Really? Saten-san what is it!" asked Uiharu, always ready to get in on something juicy.

"Please don't show it to them Saten! It's embarrassing!" I begged.

My pleas fell on deaf ears as she pulled out her phone to show my other two friends, causing them to break down in a fit of giggles after a mere glance at the photo.

"Pffft! Sieg-san, why were you pink?" asked Uiharu as her attempts at hiding her laughter out of politeness went poorly.

"Yeah, not many people get sunburns like that around here." agreed the electromaster.

"_That again! Ahahahaha!"_

There's a spectrum of colors you can blush when you're embarrassed. At the minimum it's a light pink. At its worst your face turns the color of crayfish becomes when you leave it in the pressure cooker for a whole day. The latter was the current color of red I was blushing at the moment.

"I... took an explosion from the mad bomber at point blank range for Saten okay!" I managed to say despite how mortified I was.

"Eh, an explosion from the mad bomber? Then how are you still unharmed?!" asked Misaka with a mix of disbelief and shock.

Well crap, there's no weaseling my way out of the truth this time. "Um... I heal fast. All I need to do is peel off the burnt skin and I'm usually fine in a few minutes. Unfortunately, that explosion burnt me well enough that I looked like a piece of seafood until this morning."

The two of them continued to stare at me, frozen at my almost casual way of brushing off the events that transpired yesterday. If I were to name my greatest talent other than fighting, it'd be getting that kind of response from people.

"I-It wasn't a big deal, really! Let's just go to the mall!" I said hurriedly to try and change the subject.

"Y-yeah..." agreed Uiharu, finally snapping out of it.

The Seventh Mist wasn't that far away, and my friends had resumed their happy conversations as we made the rest of the way there..

"Come to think of it, Shirai-san didn't make it, did she?" noted Uiharu at the teleporter's absence. I for one was glad she wasn't here, or she would've teased me almost as relentlessly as Kraft.

"She said she wanted to look further into the mad bomber case." replied Misaka

"Now guys, let's not worry about that. We're here to have fun remember?" Saten interjected.

"Saten-san is right, let's just relax for today." Afterwards we walked in through the doors of the mall.

* * *

**Seventh Mist Shopping Mall**

* * *

Being the only boy in the group I was the one being dragged along as my friends journeyed from store to store. To my relief, they didn't buy anything so I wasn't stuck being the shopping cart. Still, I was starting to wonder why I even came along in the first place since I wasn't doing any shopping myself.

I managed to take a breather on the third floor near the music store.

"_Why do girls like shopping so much? It's boring! I want to break something!" _my other self whined.

"Since I'm not a girl I can't answer that, sorry. We're not going to break anything either."

"_Then can't we do something other than wait for them? Maybe we could go look at one of these shops. There's got to be something interesting!"_

"We're sitting right next to the music store, so I don't see why not."

"_What's music?"_

"You don't know what music is?"

"_Nuh uh." _Well, it's to be expected since he's only three days old.

"How do I describe it..."

"_Could you just show me rather than give me another lecture?"_

I complied and walked into the music store. Noticing that there was an electric piano I sat down in front of it and stretched my fingers in preparation to play.

"Music is essentially a bunch of sounds that sound nice when you play them in order." I started slow by playing Hot Cross Buns, which came surprisingly naturally thanks to the memories of people the people my Dad and I ate who did know how to work a piano.

"_That's nice... but still boring!"_ He was trying really hard not to make his fascination with it evident in his voice. Under that volatile, destructive demeanor he's pretty sweet and innocent.

"_I am not sweet and innocent, damn it! I'll break you in two shithead!" _The sweet and innocent part is hard to find.

"Anyway, that's the easy stuff." I borrowed some sheet music off the rack labeled, "Battle to the Death on the Big Bridge", a piece from an old role playing game a little under two decades old.

"Yup, this looks hard." I remarked as I looked over the long array of notes, particularly the right handed part which consisted of a tied series of sixteenth notes at an allegrissimo tempo. In layman's terms, there's a ton of notes to play at an almost ridiculous speed of one hundred and seventy-six beats per minute. Nothing I couldn't handle with a little practice though.

It was still tough, mind you. Even having years of piano experience at the ready doesn't mean a thing if you never use it. I fumbled, a lot. Even having superhuman reflexes and finger dexterity doesn't change the fact that playing a piano is damn hard. I finally nailed it after about a half hour.

"So, how was that Kraft?"

"_..."_

"Kraft?"

"_Huh? Wait, what?" _he sputtered, as if he just awoke from a trance.

"It's a pretty good sounding piece. I'm not surprised if you got lost in the music. Like I said earlier, how was it?"

"_It was... it was... um..."_

"I told you, you don't need to act like a tough guy. Just say how you feel, no one is going to judge you. Maybe except Dad, but otherwise no one."

"_Fine, I thought it was awesome. Happy?"_

"I managed to teach you something without a complaint, so yes I am happy." I pulled off the headphones and began browsing through the rest of the store's wares. There were actually a lot of good songs in stock, but I didn't have a mP3 player or the money to buy one.

I sighed, "Allowance can only go so far. I'll have to come back another time."

"The way you're looking at my stock means you don't have a mP3 player is that right?" said the store owner as he walked over.

"Uh, yeah. Where are you going with this?"

"Business has been slow lately with all of those internet download sites. To be honest I'm surprised you're shopping here in the first place."

"My Jii-chan told me to try and stay out of trouble, piracy included."

"Then he's a good man. Tell you what, how about we strike a deal. I'll give you the best music player I have and two songs of your choice for two thousand yen."

"T-two thousand! Are you sure this is okay?" The music player alone would easily come out at over ten thousand!

"Don't worry about it, you're my first real customer in a while. Plus, you're quite the piano player."

"You were watching?"

"Like I said, people generally don't come around my store anymore unless they're looking for a cheap music player. I had nothing better to do, though I wonder why you were talking to yourself while you were playing."

"Um, I tend to think out loud." A complete lie, but a believable one.

"A lot of us do. So, do we have a deal?"

"Deal!" I ended up picking two new singles, Gloria by Meigo Arisa and Shooting Star by Hibiki Misora, both of whom were new pop stars rising on the scene. Meigo in particular is said to be so amazing that she can produce miracles when she sings. I'm a little skeptical but anything can happen in this city. I laid them on the table along with two thousand yen in bills and coins.

"Here it is." he pulled out a small box. He opened it to reveal the mP3 player, which wasn't the latest model but a very good one regardless from what I've read. He then tossed a pair of ear buds on the table next to it along with some spare parts for them.

"Consider it a bonus. You're a pretty nice kid. Got a girlfriend?" Why does everyone keep asking that?

"Ack! Uh... Um... Well..." I took a deep breath to try and calm down. "I don't, but I do have a crush on someone. The problem is I have no idea how to tell her because of my... dangerous past."

He leaned on the desk, "Relax, I'm not going to pry. I'll tell you what I think though. If you really think she's the girl for you, just tell her. I'm sure she'll understand." That made me feel a lot better.

He then handed me a plastic bag and I put everything inside, "Thanks for everything!"

"Don't mention it, it was a pleasure doing business with you."

"Same here!" I waved good bye before running into Saten as I exited the store.

"There you are! I was wondering where you ran off to. Come on, we're heading upstairs now!" she dragged me over to the escalator where Misaka and Uiharu were already waiting.

"Everyone's here! Onward ho!" She ran up the escalator, taking me with her. "Over here, over here!" she waved with her free hand before leading me over to the... lingerie shop.

"Ui-ha-ru! Come here!" she called.

"W-what is it?" my fellow Judgment member asked.

"Ta-da!" she revealed a pair of erotically pink panties she took out of a bin and shoved them in our faces, "How do you like these?"

"No way, no way, no way! I couldn't possibly wear those!" cried Uiharu as she shook her head, her face as red as mine.

"If you have these on, you could proudly show off to everyone when I flip your skirt, right?"

"I don't want everyone to see them! Please don't flip my skirt!"

"What do you think, Sieg?" she asked, turning to me and putting the pair even closer.

"W-why are you asking me? I'm a boy!"

"_Hey, they actually look pretty good. You should get her to wear them." _Oh for crying out loud!

"Aw, what a shame. Ah Misaka-san, is there anything you're looking for?"

"Eh? Well... I could use some pajamas."

Uiharu piped up at the occasion, "In that case, it's this way." she gestured.

"We've been wandering around for a while, yet they don't seem to have anything good." commented Misaka as we followed Uiharu down the hallway. The electromaster stopped as we passed by a children's clothing store, gazing at a set of pink pajamas with colorful floral patterns all over like a kid in candy store.

"Hey, hey, aren't these really cute?"

"Wow, look at these pajamas Uiharu. No one would wear something this childish these days."

"I wore something like those until I entered elementary school, but now..." Misaka's gaze fell as she heard those words.

"Y-Yeah, that's right! Now that we're in middle school there's no way we could wear these. Nope, no way!" I think it was pretty obvious to all that she wanted to try them on.

"Oh, I'm going to look at swimsuits for a minute."

"Ah, the swimsuits were over this way." Our two friends then ran off towards the swimsuit section.

I read the mood and excused myself, "I'm going to look over there. We'll meet up later!"

"_Now what? Are you going to look for toys and shit for the geezer and Ina?"_

"I would appreciate if you left the shit part out, but that's my plan in a nutshell. The problem is that now I only have about fifteen hundred yen left after I bought the music player and CDs. I feel so selfish..."

"_Meh, don't worry about it. You'll find something. It'll be freaking funny to see their faces if you don't though!"_

"Thanks, I guess..." Kraft began laughing in his usual manic way.

I went over to the toy section again. I didn't want to get another Gekota plush, it'd just seem cheesy to get Ina a ton of frog merchandise just because her older sister loves them. There was also the issue of getting something for Jii-chan. What could I get for the two of them without breaking fifteen hundred yen?

"_The geezer has a sense of humor. Get him something that will make him laugh."_ That was the first piece of helpful advice he'd given me all day.

I wandered over to the aisle covered in Gekota and pulled a small frog sticker off the rack.

"Do you think this will work?"

"_Uh, that's not exactly what I meant. You do remember you're shopping for the geezer and not the electric chicks right?"_

"Everyone says that Jii-chan looks like a frog. You told me to get something that will make him laugh."

"_Didn't think of it that way. The geezer will probably like anything you get him anyway. How much is it?"_

"About two hundred yen."

"_You're not just being cheap are you?"_

"Of course not! I'm just taking your advice to heart!"

"_... You are?"_ he replied, sounding positively surprised.

"I'm stuck with you so I've got to start doing it at some point. Better sooner than later."

"_I-It's not like I'm happy you're trusting me or anything..." _Did he seriously just turn tsundere on me?

"Moving on, what should I get for Ina?"

"_Girls like cute things right? Get a stuffed animal."_

"Yeah, but which one?"

"_What about the yellow one?"_

"Yellow? Oh, a Pikachu doll. It's only a thousand yen too."

"_Pikachu?"_

"It's a mouse from the Pokemon series that shoots lightning out of its cheeks."

"_Ha! Then it's perfect! You should start listening to me more often!"_

"Maybe I should, but don't get full of yourself."

He simply ignored me and continued muttering to himself about how well he's been doing lately, seemingly forgetting the fact that he had his ass handed to him by my dad. In return, I simply ignored him while going to the cash register to pay for everything.

When I walked back to where Misaka was I was surprised to see Touma there. He noticed me as well and greeted me with this wonderful statement:

"It's the psycho kid from last week!" he exclaimed while pointing straight at me.

"Nice to see you too, Touma. I have a name, you know."

"You two know each other? Why does he call you psycho kid?" Well isn't this lovely.

"Um, about a week ago I went out for a walk at night. On the way I noticed him running from a bunch of delinquents. I decided to help out and beat them to a pulp. When they pulled guns on us, I took the gunfire for Touma. Then I got the weird idea that it'd be funny if I coughed up the bullets and threw them in front of the gang to freak them out. It worked _too _well and I ended up making myself look like a complete lunatic." I summarized quickly and neatly. I wonder if I should have lied.

Once again I got the dumbstruck look from my peers at my actions. I've got to stop getting into situations like these, lest I want people looking at me this way 24/7.

"Ne ne, onii-chan! I want to go look over there." piped the voice of an innocently oblivious young girl with a small pink handbag. This is my chance to change the topic!

"Oh, okay." he responded.

"Is that your little sister?"

"Like I told Biri Biri, this girl just wanted to look for a clothing store so I brought her here." The girl began leading him away.

"See you later, onee-chan! Bye-bye!" Misaka waved back with a smile on her face until the pair went around the corner, upon which she clenched her fist with an irritated expression on her face. She then realized she was still clutching those pajamas from before.

"If you want to try those on just do it. I'm not one to judge someone just because of their tastes. After all, I'm the last person to be calling someone weird."

She sighed, "Thanks, but there's no point anyway. No one would take me seriously if I wore this."

"Huh, is something wrong?" asked Saten as she and Uiharu walked back after browsing through swim apparel.

"It's nothing..." Misaka replied as she hung her head in a depressing way, "I'm going to the bathroom to wash my face." She then walked off out of sight.

"So... where to next?" asked our peppy friend with the flower hair clip.

"There isn't much left to explore and I have what I need. Anywhere you haven't visited I guess." I already had what I needed so any more searching would be totally unnecessary.

"More clothes then!" She's a girl, it's to be expected.

"_Good thing we don't have to shop for any fucking clothes. We get to save a ton of money for other shit!" _He certainly likes the words "shit" and "fuck" doesn't he?

"_They're the best words for emphasis!"_ There are dozens of better words...

I then heard a camera go off, causing me to turn around. I saw the outline of a male slip into the employee's only area along with a barely audible, _"Shit, I think it saw me!"_

"Uh guys, I have to use the bathroom. I'll meet up with you later!" I'll be honest, I've _never_ used the toilet since I've never needed to. My body processes everything I eat down to the last molecule, a fact that only a few people know about. This makes bathroom breaks a convenient excuse for pretty much any situation that requires a vanishing act.

"Alright then, don't take too long!"

I quickly ducked out of sight before teleporting past the double doors of the off-limits area.

"Now, where did he go..." A quick thermal vision scan revealed him hiding behind in a janitor's closet. A janitor's closet. Is Blackwatch going to take me seriously or what? It only took the sound of my short, leisurely walk for the guy inside to start squirming.

I decided to be polite and knock, "I know you're in there. Either you're going to come out or I'm going to come in. Take your pick." No response came from inside. I repeated my statement in English to see if it was the language barrier. It took about three seconds for me to get tired of talking to a wall, so I ripped the door ajar with force.

"I'm going to be borrowing you for a bit." I grabbed his head and teleported to the roof where there wouldn't be any kind of surveillance.

"Now, who are you and why were you spying on me?" I asked with my business face on.

This time I did get a response, he pissed his pants.

I sighed, "Look, we can do this two ways. Either you tell me what I need to hear or I eat you and get the information anyway. Either option is unpleasant for the both of us so just pick one damn it!"

"_Or you could torture him." _Kraft added with glee.I was actually considering that but doing so would attract unwanted attention.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about! I'm just a tourist!"

"Don't give me that bullshit! You called me "it", meaning you know exactly what I am. So either you spill the beans or I spill your guts all over the pavement." I let my eyes glow red as I turned my hand into a claw to show that I wasn't going to take another flimsy lie like that one.

"_Torture! Torture! Torture!" _He's having too much fun with this.

The man still refused to respond. I usually have a compunction against needless killing, but I'll make an exception for people like those in Blackwatch.

"**Too bad. ****Don't worry, this is going to hurt me a lot more than it's going to hurt you."** I raised my claw, poised for the killing blow.

"Wait! Stop! I'll talk!" he cried as my talons stopped a centimeter from the left side of his torso.

"**Then do it already! I'm getting impatient."**

"I'm not part of Blackwatch! I'm a freelance reporter they hired to take pictures of you as evidence!"

"**Evidence for what? That I exist? Who my friends are? Answer me!"**

To my irritation the man once again became unresponsive and only gaped in horror as I interrogated him.

"_I never thought I'd be the one to say this, but calm down Sieg! Unless you eat or torture him you're not going to get anything out of the wuss if you keep scaring him like this!"_ For once, he's right.

I took another deep breath before continuing, "Look, sorry If I scared you, but I don't want Blackwatch on my tail. If you tell me what you know I'll let you leave scot-free."

He looked unconvinced, "I promise, as little as that probably means to you."

"They didn't tell me what the pictures were for. My only instructions were to track you and take pictures. They only told me what you were, nothing else I swear!"

"Of course they did, it's a damn black ops battalion for a reason..." I muttered at the lack of info. I have got to copy a telepath one of these days.

"_I don't think he's lying but should we torture him to make sure?"_

"I don't think that will be necessary. We don't need Anti-Skill and Judgment breathing down our neck either."

"_I was joking! Are you going to take everything I say seriously?"_

"Until I fully understand your incredibly morbid sense of humor the answer is yes." I then realized that the man was giving me one of those blank stares, the same expression I've making everyone give me all week.

"W-who are you talking to?" he asked meekly.

"None of your business." My Judgment cell rang a second later.

"I'm here."

"Sieg-san! Shirai-san just called!" Uiharu screamed into my ear.

"Calm down I can hear you! What's the issue?"

"An acceleration of gravitons has been detected at this shopping mall. We need help to evacuate everyone."

"I'm on my way." I then hung up before turning back to my prisoner. "You're free to go, I have work to do."

"_More shit to deal with?"_

"Sounds like it. I think I'm getting used to it though." A completely normal and peaceful day is becoming damn near impossible in this city isn't it? On the bright side there's never a dull moment here.

I teleported back downstairs to see a group of people being escorted by Misaka towards the stairwells.

"I've got this group, get the west entrance!"

I ran to the other end of the hallway, where a large group of people were crowding towards the exit in an unorganized and chaotic manner.

"Everyone!" I called, "I'm from Judgment. There will be plenty of time for everyone to get out. Please allow me to calmly escort you to the numerous available exits." I ended up playing traffic cop as I got everyone to head towards a number of staircases in a single line fashion. Considering the fact that no one was trampled to death I think I did a pretty good job.

"That takes care of that. Now to find the mad bomber."

"_You need to give the bastard a piece of your mind right?"_

"Exactly. I have the urge to turn him black and blue for what he did yesterday."

"_Pffft! That's just too funny!" _This incident is going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

"Will you ever let that go?"

"_Not in a million years!"_

"I expected that kind of response from you."

My Judgment cell rang again, "Hello?"

"Sieg! Are you wearing your Judgment band?!" yelled Kuroko, blasting my sensitive hearing with a panicked voice.

"Ow! Kuroko slow down! Why does it matter if I'm wearing my armband right now?"

"The mad bomber isn't targeting random places! His targets are any Judgment members he sees in the vicinity!"

"Wait, so you're saying..."

"Yes, you are a possible target!" So he planned on attacking me this whole time, all the more reason to catch him.

"I got it, I'll be careful." I calmly replied. Getting riled up wasn't going to fix anything. Besides, I could survive an explosion or two, I am pretty adaptive. She hung up afterward and I was about to go hunt down the bomber when Kraft stopped me dead in my tracks with one statement.

"_Wasn't one of your friends wearing the armband too?"_ Well, crap.

"Uiharu is the target!" I immediately activated thermal vision to track her down before the bomber did. She was standing in the middle of an intersection a ways down apparently holding her phone to her ear.

I immediately took off down the hallway at my max speed. "This is bad, this is bad..."

When I arrived the little girl from earlier was handing Uiharu an ugly looking frog doll with a loincloth. I almost felt relief for a moment, it wasn't the bomber.

Almost.

The frog's head began to collapse just like the teddy bear from yesterday, prompting Uiharu to throw it away as it continued to warp in preparation to explode. I rushed in to try and protect the pair from the explosion, but there was no way I was going to be able to deploy a shield sturdy enough to block it in time. Misaka then appeared, pulling out a coin to railgun it away. The coin, however, slipped through her fingers and fell to the floor. There was no stopping the bomb now.

The last remnants of the doll then vanished, seemingly into nothingness. I held up whatever I had on my arms to brace for the inevitable heat and impact.

It never came.

Through the blinding light I saw that Touma had jumped in front of us. He held out his right hand like he did the last time I saw him, diverting, no, negating the explosion to my amazement. As the light faded I saw that everywhere except where we were standing was burnt to a crisp with a visible crater in the floor.

"Phew... I can't believe that worked." muttered the spiky-haired teenager as he scratched his head.

Misaka and I could only give dumbstruck stares as Touma surveyed the damage.

"Why are you two staring?"

"How did you do that? How did you negate the explosion like that?!" I asked bewildered by Touma's display.

"Oh, that? Any esper power I touch with my right hand is negated." he replied nonchalantly.

"How can you just say that as if it were a blatant and common power! An ability like that is game breaking for crying out loud!"

"It really doesn't matter much does it?"

I sighed at Touma's failure to grasp the enormity of such a power, "I give up."

He simply shrugged and slung his bag over his shoulder before starting to walk away. Someone with an absolutely incredible power saves the day only to walk away without asking for recognition or reward. Only if we had more altruistic people like that in the world.

I turned around to check on Uiharu, who was still attempting to shield the girl in her arms. She too was unscathed, but she looked as though she were still anticipating an explosion. The girl opened her eyes and felt herself as if she couldn't believe she was alright.

"Thank you for saving us, Tokiwadai onee-chan!" she cheered.

"Well, actually..." Misaka began.

"_Hey, isn't there a bastard who needs the shit beaten out of him?"_ Oh right, the bomber.

"Sorry to interrupt, but don't we have a bomber to catch?"

"Oh, right!"

I grabbed her hand as I prepared to teleport, "Hold on!"

I sent us outside into open air before rapidly teleporting a few more times until we landed on the tallest building on the street after the Seventh Mist itself.

"Are you alright?"

"Don't worry about me. I'm used to teleporting with Kuroko. Why did you bring me here anyway?"

"One of my powers is called thermal vision. It's kind of like Clairvoyance but I locate people based on the outline of their body heat instead of just staring right through something. From up here I can see if anyone is trying to slink away from the crowd."

"So the guy who's sneaking away by himself is the culprit."

"Precisely, and I think I see him now." I grabbed her hand again and started teleporting towards the suspect who was in an alleyway not far from the mall. I guess he wanted to watch his work.

We eventually arrived next to the alleyway the mad bomber was walking through. I gestured for her to go in first. "I think you want a piece him as much as I do. I'll be on standby out here."

"Thanks, but you're making me out to be someone who likes to pick fights..." she replied in a strange mixture of gratitude and displeasure.

"There's no need to be ashamed about it. Now go before he gets away."

She simply nodded back before heading inside the alleyway. I leaned on the wall and peered inside to watch what happened. The guy was a scrawny teen with glasses wearing a white dress shirt and black pants like most male students in the city. From what I could hear he was in the middle of giving some sort of triumphant monologue.

"Once I have enough power I'll take those useless Judgment bastards and those assholes blow them awa-"

It was cut short as Misaka casually walked up to him and kicked the sucker from behind, knocking him into a pile of trash.

"What just happened?" he asked as he tried to get up off the floor.

"Hi!" greeted Misaka as she stood over her next victim, "I don't have to tell what this is about, right Mr. Mad Bomber?"

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about." he denied, but Misaka and I weren't convinced.

"Well, the damage done was pretty extensive. But, unfortunately for you there were no casualties, not one person had a scratch on them."

"T-That's impossible!" he sputtered, "That was my full power!"

"Oh?" insinuated the electromaster.

"I mean, I meant that I saw the incredible explosion from outside, and I doubt anyone inside could have survived it." Well I could, but getting attacked with the newest in military technology (and more recently superpowers) has almost become a hobby for me at this point so I don't really count.

He then pulled an aluminum spoon out of his duffel bag, probably to use it as a bomb. Misaka simply blasted it away with a railgun shot, blowing the would be bomber backwards from the force of the projectile.

"R-railgun... And now the great Ace of Tokiwadai. No matter what I do, it's always like this. I get beaten to the ground and crushed by force. I'll kill you! It's people like you who are the problem!" he cried in rage, "And Judgment is no different! All of you people with power are the same!"

"Power, power you say..." mumbled Misaka, now irritated by the bomber. She let out a burst of electricity that sent the nearby trash flying and the bomber reeling.

She then grabbed him by the collar, "Clench your teeth!" The bomber was once again on the floor after Misaka landed a hard right cross on the guy's cheek.

"_That's gotta hurt."_

"No kidding."

Misaka continued to give him a cold glare, "Did you know that Tokiwadai's Level 5s were just Level 1s? Regardless, they just kept trying, and trying, and trying until they obtained they power they call Level 5. Just so you know, even if I remained a Level 1 I'd still have tried to stop you."

She then turned and walked away with a disdainful look on her face, "Geez..."

"I guess it's my turn." I said as I walked in after Misaka left.

He crawled back as he saw my armband. "Now, there are a few things I want to tell you. As you probably guessed by now, I'm from Judgment."

I walked behind him to use my handcuffs."First is the usual, you have the right to remain silent, if you can't afford an attorney one will be provided, yada yada yada."

"The second thing I want to say to you, do you remember me?" His eyes widened as I said those words.

"But I..."

"Yeah, you hit me at point blank range with that bomb. Burned me pretty badly too. I was bright pink until this morning."

"How is that possible?"

"I'm tougher than I look, but I couldn't care less about that. You pissed me off by targeting two of my only friends, and you're going to have to answer for that." Like before with Misaka, his face turned into one of fear and shock.

"I can't exactly brutalize you due to my position, but I think this will do for now." I spun him around before knocking him to the floor once more with a left cross."

"Ah, that felt good. But let me ask you this, did any of your bullies ever tell you that Judgment wouldn't intervene because they were too busy because of the bombings?" His expression said that my inquiry was on target.

"Sounds like I hit the bullseye. You were the source of your own problem. Understand why your actions are wrong now?"

He didn't respond, so I just continued.

"On your power rant I have something to say too. I don't understand your plight very well at all. I was lonely, but I had power, lots of it. Yet there were some days I wondered, what would it be like to be normal? I've been thinking about this question my whole life. If anything, the only thing that makes having my powers bearable is the fact that I got to meet a lot of wonderful people because of it. What I'm trying to say is, it doesn't matter if you have a strong power or not. In the end, it's just a tool that you use, not who you are."

I decided to whisper something one last thing into in his ear, "Now, a fair warning. Should you ever target my friends again, _I __have__ ways of getting rid of someone without a trace._"

His face turned even more fearful, "Are we clear?" He nodded.

I began leading him out of the alleyway, "That's the end of my lecture, time to call Anti-Skill."

"_That lecture was fucking boring, but nice finisher." _Like I said, I have my moments.

* * *

About an hour later I was back at the crime scene with Kuroko. The place was now swarming with members of Anti-Skill doing your usual crime scene investigation work and as a member of Judgment I was required to help collect evidence. Even though Touma saved us from being injured by the explosion, it still went off and dealt massive property damage. Oh the paperwork I'm going to have to work through tomorrow.

"Shirai-san! Sieg-san!" called our friend with the flower hairband.

"Oh, I was so worried!" replied the teleporter.

"I'm sorry. But thanks to Misaka-san, see for yourself." My classmate twirled to show that she was completely unharmed.

"The Tokiwadai onee-chan saved us!" she cheered.

"Right!" the two of them agreed.

I decided not to burst their bubbles and let that train of thought remain.

Kuroko looked back on the damage with a questioning look on her face. I guess she didn't know how Misaka could have saved the day in such a way, or that it wasn't her Onee-sama who saved the day in the first place.

"Um, Sieg-san. Didn't you have a pair of bags earlier?" noted Uiharu as she saw me empty handed.

It was then I realized that I had dropped my bags somewhere during the commotion and I had no idea where they were.

"Aw, crud!" I took off again in search of my lost items. I checked every floor, the explosion's epicenter, the alleyway, and even the bathroom (I didn't even go there) but still no luck.

After about an hour and a half of searching I slumped against the wall. "I can't believe I just lost over ten thousand yen worth of stuff in a few hours. I'm such an idiot!"

Over my self-loathing I could hear Kraft snickering as if there was something funny he was hiding. "Spit it out, what are you hiding?"

"_But it's fun seeing you squirm a bit, onii-san!"_ Is he mocking me?

"_What does it sound like?"_

"If you know where my stuff is just tell me!"

"_What's the magic word?_

"You are not pulling this on me."

"_Just say it."_

"Fine, could you please tell me where my stuff is?"

"_Call me the coolest person in the whole world, the most badass, the best, the strongest..._

"Kraft...**" **I growled.

"_...Uh oh."_

"Tell me,** _now!"_**

"_You left them on the roof jerkass!"_ he said with a huff.

"Thank you. Did you have to make me go through all of that?"

"_I told you, it's fun watching you squirm!"_

"I wonder if I should say the same thing when I start forcing you to dodge lightning tonight."

"_Would you stop threatening me with that!"_

"Only when you learn to behave and cooperate!"

"_I'll do that when you stop threatening me!"_

"Would you really?"

"_Hell no,__ but it was worth a shot!"_

I sighed again before teleporting back to the roof. Sure enough the bags and the things they contained were there completely intact.

"Thanks for telling the truth at least. I might have to start using you as my planner with how forgetful I am."

"_Is that supposed to be a compliment?"_

"It is. I'm saying that for some reason your memory is better than mine."

"_I still think it's some kind of stealth insult."_

"However you want to interpret it. On a side note, thanks for earlier."

"_Earlier?"_

"You told me to calm down earlier when we were questioning that guy. If it weren't for that I might have gone overboard and killed him. So thanks."

"_Oh that... I-It wasn't much... I have to keep us out of trouble somehow!"_

"So you do have some humility, thank goodness! Though you're the one who gets me into trouble in the first place though."

"_I do not... most of the time!"_

"That's okay. Just keep being yourself, you're my adorable baby brother after all!"

"_I-I'm not adorable! Stop teasing me, bastard!"_

"We have the same face though. Come on, that has to count for something._"_

"_Yeah, you're right! You've got to have a harem for a reason right?"_

"I-I don't even know how to respond..." I was too tired to argue anyway, "Ah, what the heck, let's just go with that!" I didn't want to take the stairs, so I slid down the side of the building instead.. I was then pleasantly surprised when Saten ran up to me with her trademark smile.

"I was wondering when you'd get out."

"You waited for me this whole time?"

"Yeah, I wanted you to walk me home."

"M-Me? Don't you remember what happened the last time I walked you home?"

"Hey, you saved me right?"

"I'd prefer it if you were just safe at home."

"You're such a worrywart, it'll be fine. Come on, it's almost curfew." She grabbed my arm again and started pulling me away as usual, almost causing me to stumble as she did so. She then took off in a run, dragging me along with her.

"Hold on, you're going to make us trip!"

"Sorry Sieg, but I've got energy to burn today!"

We ended up at her apartment a little over a half hour later. She was panting and caked with sweat, but was otherwise looking just fine.

"That was a good run! See, I have been running laps in gym class!" she declared after she caught her breath.

"I can see that. I can also see that if you keep doing this my left arm is going to be longer than my right." I replied as I rubbed my sore shoulder.

"Sorry, I just felt like running all of a sudden."

"As long as you're okay it isn't a problem."

"Oh, I've still got to do something to thank you for yesterday!"

"You don't need to give me anything. We're friends right?"

"That's exactly why I want to give you something! Close your eyes!"

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I said so!"

"O-Okay..." Why does she need me to close my eyes?

"_I think I know what's coming next..."_

I felt my face heat up like a kettle on a stove top as a warm, slightly wet sensation permeated across my right cheek. It could have only been one thing...

"D-Did you just k-k-kiss me?!" I stammered as I reeled back in shock and surprise.

"Yup. It's the best thing I could come up with to thank you. You didn't like it?"

"_Ha! I knew it!"_ exclaimed my little brother in triumph.

"N-no it's not t-that. I-It's just that I didn't e-expect it a-and it s-shocked me." My ability to articulate words properly without stuttering failed as I struggled to wrap my head around what just happened. If I had a brain I'd say that it's shorting out right now.

"Oh I get it, the kiss left you speechless didn't it? Maybe I should give you another one just to see how you'll react!"

"W-what!"

"Just kidding! You're pretty cute when you act all embarrassed like that, you know?"

"Y-You think I'm cute?"

"Yeah. Why is your face so red anyway? It's not like you have a crush on me or anything right?"

"A-Actually I-"

She yawned, "It's getting late. Good night, see you tomorrow." She then closed the door before I could come up with a response.

I felt myself sigh yet again as I lamented my failure to confess my feelings. "At least she thinks I'm cute." I muttered as I began heading down the stairs.

"_You're too damn shy! You should have confessed right after the kiss!"_

"I know, I know! It's harder in practice than on paper though!"

"_It'd be _easy_ if you were more like me!"_

"Homicidal and destructive, that will definitely win me points with her. Though I guess I could use a bit more of your outgoing nature."

"_Exactly!" _he paused, _"I'm not that homicidal and destructive!"_

"Weren't you the one screaming for me to deal some torture earlier?"

"_I told you I was joking!"_

"Sure you were."

"_Maybe I was a little serious but you know I didn't mean anything that bad..." _He sounded hurt, I guess I was being too hard on him again.

"_You think?"_

"Sorry if I hurt your feelings. You're a lot nicer than I thought you were at first, you know that?"

"_I'm not nice..." _he mumbled in an attempt to maintain his tough guy image,_ "Stop grinning like that! You look like you're high as shit or something!"_

"I am?" Heh, I didn't even realize it.

"_You've been doing it since you left the chick's house."_

"Then I just want to keep at it then!" I felt my own right arm punch me in the face immediately afterward.

"Okay, I deserved that."

"_You can bet your ass you did."_

"Alright, I'll stop. Happy?" He didn't respond, but I got the feeling he was giving a smile of his own.

"It's getting late. We should probably go home and do our homework."

"_Ugh, fine."_

"Thanks for not making an annoying noise in response."

"_Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" _Now he's just trying to spite me for fun.

I think I spoke a bit too soon about the nice part. In spite of his antics I couldn't help but let a smile cross my face.

* * *

**Heaven Canceller's Hospital**

* * *

"You seem unusually cheery, did something good happen?" asked Jii-chan as I walked in through the doors. He was sitting in his usual spot in lobby, going through the paperwork that came with his profession.

"We caught the bomber and I got a sweet bargain at the mall."

"What kind of bargain?"

"The nice music store owner gave me a mP3 player and two songs for only two thousand yen!"

He raised an eyebrow at the incredibly low price, "You didn't threaten him or anything did you?"

"Of course not! You know I wouldn't do that!"

"_You did it to the reporter guy and the bomber bastard didn't you?"_

"That's completely different Kraft!"

"No need to bicker, it was only a tease. Did you perhaps buy anything for us?"

"Well, I only had fifteen hundred yen left for the both of you so I got you this." I pulled the frog sticker out of the bag and handed it to him.

He gave a short chuckle, "Poking fun at my appearance I see."

"It was Kraft's idea. He said to get something that would make you laugh."

"It certainly worked. Thank you. Both of you."

"_Told you he'd like it!"_

"I get it, you were right Kraft I concede. So what are you going to do with it, Jii-chan?"

"I'll probably stick it to my ID card. It ought to get a few giggles from my younger patients."

"That sounds good. I'm going to give Ina the plush I got for her." I started heading for the stairwell, only for Jii-chan to grab my collar again.

"What two things are you forgetting?"

"Whoops, dinner and homework. I've been really scatterbrained lately."

"We all are from time to time. Just remember to finish everything you need to do."

"I will!" Grabbing two packets from the fridge I ran upstairs to my room.

"_You're not going to tell the geezer about the kiss?"_ Kraft asked as I pulled out my books.

"I still think it's a bit of a sensitive subject to talk about. Plus he'd just tease me endlessly too."

"_I could do it for him!"_

"No, thank you. Time for homework."

"_Grrrrrr!"_

"If you hate it so much stop distracting me so I can get it over with."

My homework wasn't hard, so I finished it in under half an hour. After emptying the blood packets I left for Ina's room.

I peered in to see her sitting upright in bed. Her complexion had improved and she wasn't wrapped in as many bandages. She instantly turned her head towards me as I stepped into the room, as if she were expecting me. Her face looked as neutral as ever, but I couldn't help but get the feeling that she was happy, maybe even excited.

"Feeling better?" I asked as I sat down on the chair next to her. She nodded in response, her eyes drifting towards the bag in my hands.

"I guess you're really curious about what I bought for you. I knew it'd be cheesy just to get you things that your older sister likes so I decided to get something different." I pulled out the Pikachu doll, which she immediately snatched from my hands. She began feeling it much like her older sister does with her toys. Some habits run in the family.

"Do you like it?"

"Yes, I enjoy its soft cotton exterior the most. What creature is it? Asks Misaka at the toy's unfamiliar appearance."

"It's called a Pikachu. It's from a video game and anime series that's particularly popular here. They didn't teach you about pop culture did they?"

"All of the knowledge necessary for the experiment was programmed into Misaka's brain. Irrelevant information was excluded from the process. Explains Misaka."

"Programmed? Like some kind of learning helmet?" If they have those why are we still going to school?

"ZXC741ASD852QWE963. Says Misaka as she tests you."

"Um, I'm not entirely sure what that is supposed to mean." Is it a code of some kind?

"Your inability to decode the password means that Misaka is unable to divulge that information despite the measures taken to bypass it. I am sorry. Apologizes Misaka as she cannot provide the information you seek."

"I'll have to ask Uiharu about that password then. What about your sisters? Do you know where they are?"

"It is likely that they are still in their incubators. Answers Misaka as specifically as she can." Damn, stupid passwords and brain conditioning.

"That's enough interrogating for now. Anything you want to say Kraft?"

"_Can't think of anything."_

"Alright then. I think we should both go to sleep, it's getting late and I still have school for another two days." I was about to leave when Ina grasped my hand tightly.

"Wait. I have one more request. Says Misaka as she plots her next move." Uh, I don't like the sound of that. Still, it'd be rude to refuse her after inviting her to my home and all a few days ago.

"Sure, anything."

"Sit near me. Orders Misaka as she waits with bated breath."

"Okay..." I sat down on the bed next to her. Then the unthinkable happened.

She quickly wrapped her arms around my torso and brought my face into her... bosom.

"W-wha re ou oing?!" I said with my mouth muffled by her clothes.

"I read in a magazine that this is a method of showing one's affection. Explains Misaka."

"No lik thi!" I couldn't struggle as it would've exacerbated her injuries, leaving me stuck in that position. Made worse was the fact that she slowly tightened her grip on me, bringing me even closer to the sensitive area.

"_You're a lucky bastard you know that?" _How the hell is this lucky?

"Was it a false statement? Asks Misaka at the displeasured sound of your voice."

"I's no tha, you'e doin it n an wkward ay! Coul pleas le me o?"

"I see, my apologies. Says Misaka as she releases you."

I took a deep gulp of air as I finally earned my freedom back. I wasn't suffocating or anything, I don't have a respiratory system or even plain old lungs. It was just really uncomfortable and socially reprehensible for me to be in such a position. At least no one saw it...

"My my, you're becoming quite the lady killer aren't you? My little boy is growing up so fast." Jii-chan was leaning on the door frame, a mischievous smile on his face.

"You didn't see that, did you?"

"On the contrary, I witnessed every second. Who knew that you'd be attracting girls left and right? I hope you have a good explanation for it. I wouldn't want my patients to think of my grandson as dirty-minded."

I felt the blood rush back to my face again, "It wasn't on purpose I swear! Ina read about hugging in a magazine and she decided to do it with me and I got into that awkward pose and I'm really sorry!"

"You're far too serious and polite, Sieg. Maybe I was a bit too thorough in raising you."

"Huh?"

"I was only joking. It seems that my conservative methods have left your ability to catch the humor in such situations... lacking."

"It really wasn't that funny..."

"_It was."_ Do you guys find having your face being forced onto a girl's chest funny?

"Relax, you're practically glowing in embarrassment. More seriously, I would advise you to teach your friend more about the social norms so that situations like this don't happen again."

"Can't argue with that. Summer vacation is coming up so it shouldn't be too hard to make time for some lessons."

"Now that's settled, it's time for the two of your to go to bed."

"My circadian rhythm won't be thrown off by staying up a few minutes late, Jii-chan."

"Perhaps not, but it's a poor habit to do so. You only have two days of school left before summer break. You might as well make them productive." Doctors who double as parents or guardians like Jii-chan are really serious about your health and grades. They won't stop nagging you until you follow their instructions.

"Yes, I know. Good night, everyone." I got up and headed for the bathroom as usual before heading off to bed.

"_I wonder how you do it."_

"Do what?" I asked as I lied down.

"_Get girls to cling to you like that!"_

"Um, girls do _not_ cling to me."

"_Ina sure did."_

"W-well that was a misunderstanding caused by a magazine! It doesn't count!"

"_Didn't the Saten chick also kiss you?"_

"Yeah, but that was just for yesterday."

"_Was it?"_

I shook my head, "Just stop pestering me like this! I'm trying to sleep!"

"_But it's what I do best!"_

"You could use some lessons on the social norms too."

"_No lectures! I hate fucking lectures!"_

"If that's what it takes..."

"_Not listening!"_

"Just go to sleep!"

"_Fine, sourpuss! Good night!"_

"Good night."

I then let my already heavy eyelids finally close, thus ending just another crazy day in my life.

* * *

Sorry for the wait guys! Summer homework is a bitch (44 journal responses)! I consider this chapter somewhat of a low key chapter in terms of actual action, but I hope you found it exciting enough.

I hate to say it but later chapters will probably come out even more slowly as I'm officially back in school. I apologize, but I will try to write with quality to make up for quantity.

A while back after my Armstrong cameo one of my readers requested that I write in a Tokyo Ghoul cameo. I never touched the series up to that point, so it really wasn't of interest to me at the time. After a little research I thought that it'd be interesting to pit monster vs monster in such a crossover. As a result, I was thinking of writing a oneshot in which Sieg visits Tokyo and comes into conflict with the local ghoul population. I'll probably post a poll (my cousin just pointed out to me how it works) so I want to hear what you guys think.

About my usual rant for reviews, I've sort of come to a realization after I read the profile of "Just Another Indonesian Writer". In the end, having a ton of reviews doesn't really matter, it's the quality. To make my stories better I need hard, critical reviews as opposed to praise. That's not to say that I don't appreciate your support, I enjoy it very much. However, a pat on the back doesn't exactly tell me anything you think aside from the fact that you like it. As a result, I'd like you to be harsh and critical on any plot/continuity/grammar errors.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading and I hope to see you again next chapter!


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